Wake Up Calls
by kim.christie32
Summary: What happens in the night time hours in the world of Caskett? Series of mostly unrelated one shots chronicling random nights in the life of Castle and Beckett. CH. 27 - "The problem isn't how excited he got or that he convinced her she would love the show. No the problem is now she's hooked to the dumb show, zombie's really Rick? She can't stop watching."
1. Bad Dream

She woke terrified. Mind racing, body trembling, blood pumping in her ears. She doesn't do this, hasn't in years. Not since the cold band starting resting on her finger and the warm body of her partner resting on her back came along.

She laid there, pulse rate slowly coking down confused. Was it a dream? Did she hear something? After a quick surveillance of the sounds of the loft she decides she is safe. Safer when the arm wrapped around her waist pulls her in tighter to the solid body behind her.

"Nightmare?" The groggy, sleep laden voice of Castle startles her again. "Hey, hey. You're safe. Everything is ok."

Kate turns in his arms, pulling herself flush with his naked chest.

"Not a nightmare."

Her voice is so soft he's not even sure he heard her speak. Rubbing smoothing circles up and down her back he searches for what has Kate panicked at, what time was it anyway. He hastens a look over his shoulder to see the alarm clock teasing him, 4:30 am. He just put Nikki and Rook to bed 30 minutes ago and was looking forward to a couple hours of peaceful sleep curled up to his beautiful muse.

Castle quickly realizes that in another couple months he better get used to sleep interruptions. He moves one hand to the growing bump, the physical reminder of the big change coming into their lives.

"Was it the baby? Is he kicking again? Does he need his daddy to make him a smorelette?"

"Castle, that was a one time craving." Pulling back, she tries to fix her best 'Detective Beckett' glare but it quickly falls into a chaste kiss of Castle's pouting lips. "Your son is not the problem. I don't know what the problem is."

"Kate, talk to me." He rolls onto his side pulling her against him, bump resting against his hip. He can't help the smile that breaks across his face. Kate Castle is his wife, soon to be mother of his child and she has never looked more beautiful.

Looking at her rumpled, sleepy and with that smile Kate can't help the smile that she returns. Her 'one and done' is her best friend, soulmate, partner and her everything. Her heart rate quickens again, but not out of fear.

Lifting her hand from his stomach, Kate cups his check pulling his attention back to her. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened." Silent tears fall from her cheeks before she can fight them back.

He quickly thumbs away the moisture concern ripping through his chest. "Kate. It's ok. You're safe, the baby is safe. Don't ever apologize for letting me be here for you. I love you. I'm your husband, through good times and bad, remember?"

"I love you too Rick." She lazily draws patterns and words on his chest as sleep slowly comes.

Castle feels her breathing even out as she sleeps. He places a soft kiss to her head, inhaling her scent, cherries and something he can only describe as essence of Kate. "I love you Kate. I love you too Peanut."

Kate smiles and sleepily says "I thought we said no more pet names."

Castle's grin threatens to split his face in two. How did he get so lucky? "I didn't call you honey, sweetheart, baby, baby momma..." His train of thought is derailed when suddenly Kate is straddling him, hips rocking in her hypnotic fashion.

"That is not what I'm talking about and you know it, I don't want your little nickname sticking with my child the rest of its life. Alexis is 20 and you still call her pumpkin."

How she can have a rational conversation when she is naked and doing those delicious things with her body he will never know. But she has always been a mystery he was never gonna solve. "She loves that name."

If the increase in pressure on her thigh is any indication, Kate knows her little display is having it's desired effect. Not one to lose a battle tho, she leans over Castle's we'll defined chest leaving her lips millimeters from his. "I said no pet names." She quickly reaches up grabbing his ear and twists.

He is putty in her hands, those hips, those eyes, those lips that are getting ever closer to his. He is so mesmerized by her that he doesn't see her hand come around the side of his head and make contact with his ear. "Apples, apples!"

She releases his ear, rolling off of him and back onto her side away from him. "Goodnight,"

The growl that comes from him is almost her undoing but she keeps her composure counting to 5 in her head. 1, 2, 3, 4...

"Kate Castle you are an evil woman."

She will never tell him what it does to her to hear her new last name, his ego can't take much more inflating, instead she calmly rolls over stroking his face that is now looming over her gently. "Speaking of apples, the baby is hungry Rick,"

Castle grumbles something under his breath before changing tactics quickly. He captures Kate's lips in a searing kiss quickly deepening it. His tongue battles for dominance against hers eliciting a moan from the back of her throat. Pushing himself up he carefully hovers above the growing bump hands mapping her skin, finding all of her secret spots he has found in the years they have been together.

Kate whimpers when suddenly Castle pulls back quickly from her and off the bed. "What will it be tonight? Pancakes, waffles, peanut butter and pickle sandwich?" He stares at Kate from the door jamb, lips swollen, eyes glazed with desire and almost gives in then.

"Richard Edger Alexander Rogers Castle you cannot start something like that and just leave with the promise of food." Kate tries to keep her face stern against the growing smile on her ruggedly handsome husbands face. She almost has his until her stomach growls loudly causing them both to break out laughing.

"Food first Mrs. Castle then I will take case of your other hunger." He winks as he crosses back to the bed bending over to give her a soft kiss and place another on her bump.

As Kate watches the very sexy backside of her husband disappear into the office she can't help but shake her head. She doesn't know what caused her to wake in a panic but she knows that as long as she wakes up with Richard Castle by her side she will be ok. Unless... "Rick, no smorlettes!"


	2. Missing You

_I hate this case_. That's all Kate can think of when she finally enters the loft. How many hours, no days had it been since she left? She can't remember the last time she didn't wake up in the break room, alone. Grab a quick, mostly cold, shower in the locker room, alone. Heat up two day old leftovers and eat at her desk, alone. Spend hours staring at the murder board and spinning theory, alone.

She misses Castle. With his deadline looming and this impossible case they haven't seen each other in days. Sure they've texted and talked on the phone but it's not the same. She can't help but feel like her other half is missing when he's not there with her, even when he's going on and on with some crazy theory,

That's why she drug herself away from the full murder board and bad coffee. OK, Espo might have bugged her into telling him when the last time she left was. And he may have dropped a few hints of her not being at her best. But she would never admit it to anyone. So she ended up relenting and leaving. She just wants a couple hours cuddled up next to her fiancé.

Dropping her jacket, bag and quickly pulling off her boots by the door she quietly sneaks through the darkened loft. Even without the ambient glow from the windows Kate could navigate the living room. Too many nights playing laser tag in the pitch black have made the floor plan second nature.

In her head she still can't believe the loft is home. Not that she spent much time at her apartment in the last months she had it. How could she leave this place and her new family? Moving in was a big step but she was ready for it. On nights like this she is happy to come home to this loft, to Castle.

She has plans for her ruggedly handsome partner. Plans that don't include catching up on the sleep she's been missing but do include catching up on time she's been missing him. Plus knowing that he is asleep, she can't help the growing need that's coiling in her just thinking about the way she's going to wake him up.

Man she's really missed Castle.

Slipping the door to the bedroom open as quiet as possible Kate is stunned to see that her sneaking has been in vain. Richard Castle has managed to surprise her again.

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><p>Rick hates this week. Hates it! Not only has he been chained to his desk and the offices of Black Pawn but he hasn't seen Kate since Tuesday morning. Not that he blames her. This case is kicking everyone's asses and much of her time has been spent at the precinct.<p>

Sure they've talked on the phone, even managed to build theory a little but it's not the same. He misses her.

The text he got saying she wouldn't be home until late, if at all was the final straw. Using his Richard Castle charm he laid out a plan to get his beautiful muse back home and into his arms, if only for a couple hours. Calling Espo and Ryan had been a risk but they understood immediately that this was the best thing for her.

"It's simple guys. Follow the plan and she'll be out of the bullpen in an hour."

"Castle I don't think it'll work man. She's been staring at the board for the past hour." Espo's concern radiated through his apprehension. His little sister was working herself to the bone and he didn't like watching it anymore than Rick did.

"She's biting her lip isn't she." Castle could just see her sitting on the edge of her desk, brow furrowed, bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

"Man, that's just creepy. I'll do what I can but I make no promises."

"Thanks Espo. I owe you one." Castle hung up the phone happier than he had been in days. Kate was coming home and he was going to make the best of the little time they had together.

When his phone dinged with the text from Espo telling him she was on her way out the smile on his face threatened to break it in two. Placing the last candle on the nightstand he moved to the bathroom to draw the hot, bubbly water.

Just as the sound of keys in the lock made it's way through the loft Castle emerged from the bathroom with a smile and a glass of wine waiting for her beautiful face to make it's way to him. To say she was shocked when she opened the door would be an understatement. If it was possible she radiated love in that second.

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><p>Rick Castle had always been one to surprise her but this took that cake. Looking around the bedroom Kate had to fight back the tears brimming in her eyes. The candles, the flowers, the entire scene couldn't compare with the handsome man standing in front of her with a smile that could melt her soul.<p>

"I love you." That was the only way she could respond to the scene in front of her. It summed up everything and so much more.

"I love you too Kate. Now get over here so I can show you how much."

Not being one that needed to be told twice Kate crossed the room in two strides, crashing into Castle's chest. He managed to keep the wine in the glass as he wrapped his arms around her waist, lips finding hers in a long, soft kiss. Her arms around his neck, Kate quickly deepened the kiss putting a week's worth of emotions behind it. Sooner than either were ready for the need for oxygen became too much and the pulled apart, foreheads resting together.

Kate was the first to break the silence of their embrace. "I thought you would be asleep by now."

"Kate, I'm a writer. We don't sleep. Plus it's been way too long since I got to see my extraordinary fiancé so I had to wait up for her."

She pulled back a little farther moving her hands to his waist. "How did you know I would be home tonight? I told you we were still neck deep in the case and I probably would crash there again."

Castle passed the glass of wine that was resting behind her back to her letting her take a nice long sip before responding. "I have my sources Ms. Beckett."

With an arched eyebrow Kate couldn't help her reply. "Don't you mean Ms. C-to be. Mr. C."

Castle couldn't keep the anger out of his voice when he whispered "Pi." The sound of Kate's laughter quickly drew him out of his haze. Tightening his grip around her Castle slowly sways them back and forth. "I may have called Espo to help me get you home and back in our bed tonight."

The wine and the gentle sway of their bodies slows Kate's reaction. "Wait. You called Espo. But how? What?" The feel of Castle's lips on hers stops all questioning. What starts as a chaste brush quickly leads to a battle for dominance.

When he moves from her mouth to her neck, nipping and sucking on her pulse point Kate can't stop the moan that it pulls from the back of her throat. "Remind me to thank him tomorrow." The laughter that rumbles from Castle's chest only heightens the burning need building in her core.

Castle regains his head suddenly pulling away from Kate's newly exposed chest causing her to whine in protest. "Kate, baby. I would love to continue this but I think you need a nice hot bath."

Once her breathing and heart recover she finally looks past Castle to see the bubble bath he has drawn for her. "Just when I think you can't get any better. How about we move this little party into that bath because I am not ready to let you go yet."

Taking her free hand in his without a word he leads her into the bathroom in front of the tub. They take their time removing each other's clothes, savoring the kisses, the looks, the fact that they are standing there together again. When they are naked and ready Castle slides into the tub getting comfy. Kate joins him, settling between his legs, back resting against his chest, head against his shoulder. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too Kate. Now relax." Her body loosens in front of him as he gently massages her shoulders. He pulls a piece of hair away from her neck placing a kiss below her ear. While nuzzling her neck he whispers "I'm coming with you tomorrow. Nikki Heat has nothing on my beautiful fiancé who needs me."

"I love you Rick."

"I love you too Kate"

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><p><strong>AN: As a very new to this writer I welcome all feedback. I'm still working out the character's voices in my head so please let me know what you think. ENJOY!**


	3. The Morning After the Storm

**_A/N: my take on the morning before Castle wakes up in After the Storm. Thanks again for the reviews, follows, favorites. It helps motivate me to find time to write these. _**

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><p><em>Warm. Why am I so warm? When did it get so warm in here?<em>

Kate Beckett never remembered her bed being so warm and comfortable. It's like she has a full body heater next to her.

_Wait, when did I get such soft sheets? Am I naked? What is going on?_

Before she even opens her eyes Kate's mind was reeling. Relaxed, comfortable and not 100% sure what's going on she sneaks a peak out of a barely cracked eye lid. The sight in front if her is something from a dream. A dream she has had repeatedly lately.

In fact, she must be dreaming it again. That's the only explanation for this.

_This can't be happening._

Chancing another look around Kate opens both eyes this time, slightly afraid. _If this is a dream I don't want to wake up yet._ Slowly her lids open and the sight in front if her is better than any dream she has had.

She is in Richard Castle's bedroom. In Richard Castle's bed. Richard Castle is naked next to her.

_Wait if he's naked that must mean._

She pulls back the soft sheet covering her to discover her own naked body.

_Ok that answers the naked question. Don't panic. Just slow down. Take a couple breaths. Let's put together what we know. Last night you resigned from the Twelfth. You quit your job. What were you thinking? Oh yea. You almost died again because of this crusade. Because you pushed everyone away and did it on your own. You pushed Castle away. You decided to go for a walk in the rain. Just to clear your head. Really Kate. A walk in the rain. Anyway. You went back to the swings. The swings where you talked to Castle again after so many months away. After you pushed him away again. The swings where you told him about the wall. The wall that came down. You wanted to find Castle. You needed to find Castle. Another walk in the rain and you were at the loft. You wanted to call, in case he wasn't alone but he didn't answer. You couldn't wait any longer so you went up. You saw him. You apologized. You kissed him. You told him the truth. You kissed him again. He kissed you. Things escalated when you hit the door. You lead him to the bedroom. His bedroom. The truth. You love this man. And now you're here in his bed, naked. And oh how he got you naked. What he did to you, what you did to him._

The smile on Kate's face threatens to split it in half. She carefully takes her arm placing it on his chest. Drawing patterns on the newly discovered skin. Kate takes her time to enjoy the sleeping form next to her. The strong arms hidden under jackets and sleeves. The defined chest and abdomen. The powerful legs that push him into her life and the line of fire, even when she tells him to stay back. This man is everything she could have wanted and more.

Sunlight slowly seeps in from the windows alerting Kate to the upcoming sunrise. With Martha and Alexis both out until later in the day at least she is no rush to leave the bed or the man in it. However after their late night activities a little caffeine might help rounds 4 and 5.

Slowly rising so as to not disturb Castle she looks for something to cover up with. Opting for sexy, it is their first morning together after all, she picks up one of Castle's button ups. Buttoning it up she searches the room for her panties.

_Where did he throw them again?_

Tucked underneath a pillow, she pulls the under garment on quickly making her way towards the kitchen. Stopping for just a second at the doorway Kate sneaks one more look at Castle. With his hair matted in places and serene look on his face he is more handsome than she has ever seen him.

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><p><em>Best dream ever.<em>

Richard Castle has had vivid dreams before but this one takes the cake. Kate Beckett showed up on his doorstep, soaking wet, wanting him. She said so herself.

"I want you. I just want you."

No sweeter words had ever been spoken to him. Kate Beckett wanted him and had wound up very naked in his bed where she proved her need and desire for him, more than once.

_It had to be a dream. Kate doesn't want me. She's known how I felt for a year now and hasn't said a word. But she did say the wall was coming down. But then we fought. I walked out._

Castle couldn't watch her run into the line of fire. Run towards her certain death again. He watched her die once and that was enough for him. Shaking the memories he tries to slink further into the bed and bring back the wonderful dream.

If I can't have her in reality at least I can have more dreams like that. What an amazing dream!

Something about the bed stirs him. Maybe it's the pillows slung about or the comforter that lays mostly on the floor but he can tell something is off. Something is missing.

_Kate. It wasn't a dream. She was here. She was amazing. We were amazing. More amazing than I knew could be possible. _

Castle feels around the bed looking for Kate. _Warm sheet mean she hasn't been gone long. Smell of coffee means she is probably in the kitchen. _

He sits sits up quickly to check the room. Her clothes are still there. She must be here somewhere.

Like an angel from his dreams she appears. Dressed in a shirt he will never wear as well as she is, she is here.

_It wasn't a dream. She's here. Kate Beckett is here and all I can do is smile at her like an idiot. Pull it together man. Say something. Anything._

Before he can get a word out Kate breaks the silence "Made you a coffee."

_Sexy and she brought me coffee. This can't get any better._

"So it wasn't a dream." Finally he manages to get some words out.

"No. You definitely weren't dreaming." Kate sits on the bed next to Castle handing over on of the coffee's in her hand. She is glowing.

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><p>20 frustrating minutes later Kate has finally managed to get coffee brewing.<p>

_Why do he always have to have the top of the line stuff? A simple coffee machine is not too much to ask. I'll have to change this. Or make him make all the coffee. Wait, did I just try to change things in his home? It's only been a night. Slow down Kate. One step at a time._

Kate gets two coffee's poured, inhaling the familiar scent that holds so many memories of them. She makes her way back through the loft as quietly as possible, intent on waking Castle up the best way she can think of. Her mouth on his skin, her hands caressing and holding his flesh. Pouring out all the love she is feeling for him in the most simple way possible.

As she rounds the office into the bedroom she sees him. Startled from a dream or the lack of her in his bed he has sat up in bed. Her heart skips a beat at the sight of him. He's awake and looking for her. She can see the fear in his eyes, the rejection starting to reform where it has say in his heart the last several weeks. Without hesitation Kate takes the last few steps into the room. If the smile on his face is any indication of the one that is plastered on hers then she looks like a fool. A love sick fool.

"Made you a coffee."

_I love him. I love this man more now that I ever thought possible._

"So it wasn't a dream." Castle's voice breaks her thoughts.

_He thought it was all a dream too. He can't believe it either. It's a dream come true is what it is. I'm living in a dream world with Richard Castle._

"No. You definitely weren't dreaming. "


	4. Revenge

**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews. This has been way more fun to start than I would have imagined. The stories just flow from my fingers sometimes. But who am I kidding these characters write themselves. Hope you enjoy this one. Again reviews are very welcomed.**

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><p>It's pitch dark when his feet hit the floor. They only went to bed a couple hours ago so the sun is hours away from rising. Plenty of time to execute his plan.<p>

Oh the plan. The plan that has been building in the back of his head since Kate's little "Rise of the Machines" prank. Their fight and her move to DC have delayed his revenge. But tonight it will be his. Tonight she will pay.

Rick moves around the loft like a ninja. Off to the office to collect the supplies. Back to the bedroom to set the trap. Into the living room to set the scene further. He even got Martha, Alexis and Pi to vacate the loft. There is no chance of interruptions now. One whole night of just him and Kate and his payback.

It's not like she doesn't need this too. A little distraction from Rachel's news. Even if it is for a couple hours. If Rick was being honest with himself, he's really worried about her. She's only known a life of work. The week she was suspended was a nightmare. Thank god for the Hampton's house or they would have been forced to spend the whole week in bed, him making her forget her time off.

Damn it. They should have stayed in the city and kept her mind off of her forced week off.

All the pieces are in place. Except for Kate. Oh what sweet revenge this will be. He slips back into the bedroom just to check that she is still sleeping. However he isn't ready for the sight in front of him.

While he was working around the loft Kate had rolled over. She must have been looking for him because she was wrapped around his pillow pulling it tightly to her chest. Her hair cascading across her own pillow and into her eyes don't hide the serene look on her face. Castle isn't sure how long he stares at her and if she were to wake now and call him creepy the whole plan would go out the window. She is more beautiful today than she ever has been. The stress of Rachel's news, her mothers murder, their upcoming wedding are gone while she sleeps peacefully in his bed. Curled up to his pillow. He gently sweeps a couple curls away from her face before setting the final piece of the puzzle next to her.

Castle sneaks out of the room into the office prepared to enact his revenge.

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><p>Kate isn't sure what wakes her first. The flashing light inches from her face. The missing warm body of her fiancé. The loud ping sound. All of the combined factors have her eyes opening hours before she wanted.<p>

She's unemployed now. Shouldn't that mean she gets to sleep in late. Maybe lay around on the couch watch Temptation Lane. Get to spend some quality time with Rick who she has missed more than she could ever put into words. So why is it that a couple hours after the finally snuggled into bed together is she being rudely awoken.

Her eyes search the immediate area. Castle's pillow is safely enclosed in her arms his scent almost knocking the wind out of her chest. Beyond that there is a flashing light coming from something. Leaning up on her elbow she spies the Laser Tag gear Rick had insisted she needed the week after they got together. Oh her 9 year old on a sugar rush. Beyond that is darkness.

Her cop instincts kick in assessing the area. No sounds in the bedroom itself mean that he must be lying in wait somewhere near by. A stealthy exit will be tricky at best. Time for a new plan of attack. But how long until he fires again to get her awake.

Rick has already fired two warning shots into the crack of the door yet Kate still hasn't stirred. The little kid inside of him wants to go jump on the bed and wake her up but the adult says to hang tight and wait her out. It's only a matter of time.

No more than two minutes later he is firing another round into the gap. Direct hit on the vest again. Listening like his life depended on it he finally hears the begins of her stirring. Waiting her out because he knows she can be slow to rise somedays he prepares for his attack.

"Richard Castle why is my laser tag stuff in our bed at 2:30 in the morning?" Kate's voice is angry and not what he expected. This was supposed to be fun. A prank to combat the prank he pulled. Wake her up, get her to play, spend a couple hours having an all out war in the loft before falling back into bed together. He did not expect her to be angry.

Standing up from his hiding spot behind the desk he prepares to take a step in the bedroom. Mounting his best puppy dog face he pushes the door open.

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><p>Kate knows Castle's plan. He's after revenge. He's only been talking about it in his sleep for months. That little remote control attack really got to him. Hey she could have fun just as much as he can. If he wanted a middle of the night laser tag war, then he was going to get a laser tag war.<p>

As she quietly dons the vest securing the gun in her hand without moving the gear out of the area Kate waits for his next shot. He's trying to roust her and he will not be prepared for attack. Just as she gets settled in Castle doesn't disappoint and fires another shot into the room hitting her square in the chest.

Kate calls upon all of Martha's acting advice. "Richard Castle why is my laser tag stuff in our bed at 2:30 in the morning?" If she could his face it would be game over because her smile is totally giving her away. The lights from his vest grow brighter as he nears the door and Kate prepares for ambush.

He pushes the door open and it takes Kate a second to recover from his puppy dog eyes before she fires. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. But the shock wears off when Kate runs past him, grabbing his ass on the way into the loft behind him.

"Oh it is game on Mrs. C to-be."

"Bring it on Mr. C."

All plans of revenge, all thoughts of unemployment, getting fired, wedding plans to be figured out are gone for the next several hours while Rick and Kate have an all out laser tag war, very much the 9 year olds on sugar rushes that they can be.

Tomorrow morning the world will try to come crashing in again but locked in the loft together tonight they are where they want to be. Together.

When Kate finally gets the game winning point by ambushing Rick from the top of the counter they call it a night.

Kate collapses into the bed as the first light of sunrise filters through the windows. She isn't tired and Castle is taking way too long putting the gear away. "Rick. Hurry up. It's cold in here."

Castle appears at the door seconds later a single rose in his hands. He walks to her handing her the rose before kissing her forehead.

She can barely choke out "What is this for?" around the tears forming in her eyes. He is by her side pulling her to his chest before she knows what happened. _How does he do that?_ Kate grabs on to him letting go of the months of separation, the lose of her job, even the pain of almost losing him. He is here with her and that is all that matters.

"The rose is because I love you. I know that you did the right thing today and I'm sorry you lost your job but I can not tell you how happy I am to have you here. Right here and right now I am the happiest I have been in my life. We will figure out what comes next for both of us but I wanted you to know that I love you. Thank you for playing with me. Thank you for being you." His words have her tears flowing. He pulls her head from his chest wiping the tears away gently before sealing her mouth to his in a sweet, tender kiss.

The swell of emotions in Kate's chest take over and soon she can not get enough of Castle. Pulling him over on top of her she deepens the kiss. Hands roaming and breathing panting they spend the next several hours showing their love for each other.


	5. Threatened

**A/N: After rewatching Probable Cause this popped into my head. This chapter and the next will both play off of that episode at different points. Today's is in the middle of the case when Castle is being held for murder and Kate is forced to go home to deal with the emails. As always I appreciate the reviews. They keep me focused and going with this. ENJOY!**

Her dreams are haunting her. Teasing her. Not that she is surprised tonight. She knew this was coming. With everything going on with the case she the thought of sleeping at all seemed out of reach. But Lanie came over and convinced her to sleep. "The best way you can help Castle is to be at your best. Get some sleep, even if it's just a couple hours."

So here she is. Laying in a bed she hasn't slept in in weeks, slept alone in in months.

The dreams would come. They would shake her foundation. Steal her sanity and rob her of the few hours of sleep she gave herself.

In the first one they were back at the hotel. She stormed up the stairs as fast as she could but she didn't get there in time. Tyson shot both of them leaving her a sobbing mess on the dingy floor.

In the second one they were back in the freezer. Castle's body heat being the only grounding force to keep her breathing. He gave up all his warmth for her. He gave his life to keep her alive. She woke with tears streaming down her face when the image of him in the casket, still blue from the cold took over.

She can't remember the last one as well. A jumbled mess of all their near misses together. Each time she made it out alive and Castle gave his life for her. Each time she was left to live a life without him. A life she couldn't imagine.

Kate sits up in the strange room, on the strange bed that used to be her home and sanctuary. But tonight they are neither. Tonight her home is in a cell, in holding, at the precinct alone. The tears fall again, like they have been since she left this evening. He told her to leave. Their secret and his need out weighed her desire to sit there with him. To be some form of comfort.

She cries until there is nothing left. Til she is dry and shaky. Looking at the clock next to her bed she sees she has only been asleep two hours. That two hours not cuddled up to Castle's side was the longest of her life.

She pulls herself out of the bed, quickly showering and dressing for the day. She can't stay here, she's no good to him here. She has to find out what is going on because the one thing Kate Beckett knows is Richard Castle is not a killer. And she's going to prove it.

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><p>Castle can't sleep. The bench is cold and hard. It doesn't come close to his 800 thread count sheets on his comfortable mattress. It doesn't come close to Kate, the warmth and comfort her presence brings to him. So no he won't be sleeping tonight.<p>

He won't be holding Kate in his arms, wrapped against his chest. He won't breathe in her scent as he slips away. He won't feel her arm tighten around his as they sleep. He won't wake in the morning to her gentle kiss. He won't see her.

He could try to sleep and dream of her but even that is tricky. He's in a jail cell, accused of murder. A murder he didm't commit. A murder even he would have trouble writing. All of these factors will lead to dreams he doesn't want to face. Dreams he hasn't faced since Kate has been with him every night.

He's scared. More scared than he has been since Kate was shot. Tyson is not to be messed with. If he has a plan to kill him, he will. The threat he made just a short while before still rings in his ears. The tombs. His death.

What will that do to Alexis? Growing up with out her father. Will she hide herself away like Kate did? Will she look to his girlfriend for support? Will she ever move on?

And Mother? As much as they joke they love each other deeply. He's her son and if thinking of losing Alexis compares to what she feels for him he's not sure she will survive. At least she'll have Alexis to live for. To help through the loss. They can lean on each other as well as Kate.

Kate. He can't even being to know what this would do to her. She has just opened her heart again. What will it do to have someone ripped out of it again? Will the walls return? Will they be stronger? Will anyone be able to reach her again?

He can't leave her. Can't leave them. He will fight Tyson. He's made it out alive before. He will do it again. He will fight for them. For their love. For her love.

He can't help but think of Kate, alone dealing with this. The emails, the threat, the charges. She doesn't know it all yet but she will understand. She will fight for him. She will get him out of this. They all will. But tonight he won't sleep. He will sleep when he's back in her arms. Back in his home. Back with his love.

* * *

><p>Kate walks into the precinct ready for a fight. But more than anything she is ready to see Castle. Maybe she can sneak in before shift change. Without Gate's here who is going to question it. He's her partner after all. But he's more than a partner. He's her better half and he's alone in there.<p>

The short walk from the elevator to her desk seems like a journey in her current state. A quick check of her messages, hoping for some new lead that will set him free comes up empty. On to the next task.

The murder board has always been her friend, her ally on each case. Sure it might take some cases longer to come together than others but it was always there in the end. Tonight it haunts her because everything on it points to the man holding her heart in holding. She pours over the facts, looking for that one small piece they had missed earlier. The piece that would find who is really behind all of this. But just like the 100 other times she looked today the board is the same. And according to it, Richard Castle is a murderer.

Giving up on making any progress now and hoping that he is getting at least a little rest she decides to go check on him, if only to make sure he is still there. It's only been a couple hours since they were forced to separate but she needs to know if this is still real and not just a really bad dream that she can't wake up from.

The guards understand and give her a little extra space. They open the doors and make themselves scarce. They are a family and one of their own is in there.

Rounding the edge of the cell she sees him, sitting up on the bench where she left him earlier. The knot in her stomach tightens. Her emotions threatening to spill over again. She can't do that now, not here, not in front of him. She has to be the strong one for them. She has to keep them together this time. His head rests in his hands so he hasn't seen her approach. She comes to the edge of the cage, a cage between them but not their hearts. "Castle" The word comes out like a breath and she's not sure he hears her until his blue eyes fix on hers.

* * *

><p>Castle is so lost in his thought of Kate that he ignores the activity around him. If he is going to be forced to be in this cage his mind can at least be with her. With her on the beach in the Hamptons. With her playing laser tag in the apartment, she really needs her own gear, he'll do that when he gets out. With her on their wedding day. With her when she gifts him with another child. With her when they are old and grey. With her.<p>

He doesn't hear the gate down the hall open and shut. He doesn't hear the soft fall of her heels on the concrete floor. He doesn't hear her come to stand next to him. The first thing he hears is his name. "Castle." The breath she says it in catches in her throat and he instantly knows she is here. She is with him. Despite all of this she is with him.

He turns his head locking on her hazel eyes and his world is instantly brighter. He will tell her everything that Tyson said. He will tell her he didn't do this. He will tell her everything she needs to hear to trust him again. But the only thing he can tell her right now, the only words that fall from his lips are "I love you."


	6. Is It Over?

**A/N: 2nd in the small series dealing with Probable Cause. This one takes place the night after Tyson falls off the bridge. Again reviews more than welcome. I can take the criticism if you have it. ENJOY!**

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><p>"Castle. Castle. Castle!"<p>

Kate was calling his name. In the darkness around him he could hear her calling out to him. But he couldn't reach her. He was captive. 3XK had him held captive.

He wasn't in the hotel room anymore but he wasn't back in holding. He didn't know where he was. All he knew was that Kate needed him. She was yelling for him. So why couldn't he reach her.

"Kate. Kate I'm here. Help. It's Tyson. It was Tyson all along."

* * *

><p>Kate woke to Castle tossing turning. Another bad dream in a night full of bad dreams. A quick check of the clock showed that it was a little after 2. An hour after she had gotten him back to sleep again.<p>

She rolls over, raising herself above him grasping his shoulders tightly. "Castle." Nothing, he's eyes are moving rapidly behind his lids but he hasn't stirred.

Shaking slightly she tries again. "Castle." Again she gets nothing. She's starting to get worried now. His movements are growing wilder underneath her grip.

"Castle!" He tries to sit up and Kate almost lets him until she sees his eyes are still not open. Placing one of her hands on his cheek she hopes the familiar contact will be enough. Will reach him finally.

"Kate. Kate I'm here. Help." His voice is frantic despite his sleep. She has to choke the tears back as she fights to bring him back. Bring him back to her. "It's Tyson. It was Tyson all along."

* * *

><p>Castle feels the fog lifting. Maybe the drugs are wearing off. Maybe he'll be able to fight his way back to Kate now.<p>

As he comes to a little more he is aware of the hand on his cheek, the soft words in his ears. They can't be real. Because they sound like Kate. Wishing him to wake up. Telling her she is right there. But how can she be right there when he is here. Where ever it is that Tyson has him.

He has to get back to Kate. He can't stay here. It's not safe here.

As he climbs closer to consciousness the chair he had been sitting on grows softer and flatter feeling like his bed. The straps holding down his arms more like the soft sheets he loves. The warmth of the room more like the warmth of a body next to him, hugging him close.

He slowly opens one eye taking in the familiar ceiling before chancing the other. He's really there, in his bed and he's not alone. Kate's face floats in front of his, hands brushing his forehead, cheek, lips, jaw anywhere they can touch. He isn't in trouble, he's home.

That's when he sees it, the tears that fall from her eyes, the slight shake in her shoulders, the fear creased in her brow. She was scared. "Kate, what's wrong?"

Her voice cracks as she tries to pull it together. "I couldn't get you to wake up. You sounded so scared. There was nothing I could do to help you. I couldn't save you." Before she can finish Castle pulls her into his side, pulling her tighter than he has ever dared. He rubs her back, wiping away the tears that fall a little slower now. "Kate, I'm so sorry. It's ok now."

Kate small chuckle startles him. When her head tilts up to meet his he is surprised to see a smile forming. "You have a nightmare and you're the one comforting me. What is wrong with us Castle?" He can't help but join her in laughing when her laughter breaks loose. The stress of the past couple days melting away into this moment, the moment that they are back in each others arms again.

"We've never been normal Kate. I am sorry that I scared you. It just took me a little longer to fight my way back to you than I thought."

Kate grows serious again shifting to look at him better resting her head on his chest. "Where were you? Was it Tyson?"

He isn't sure if he's ready to talk about it. The wounds are fresh and the dream was all too real. But she is here and she wants to help. They've been doing better with sharing and talking so he doesn't see how holding back now can help. She won't argue if he says no but he loves her wants to face this together.

"I was back in that room. Ryan was injured on the floor and I didn't know if you were going to get there. Tyson kept saying you wouldn't come. You couldn't save me this time. As you broke down the door it shifted. We were on the bridge but I was the one who was dangling on the edge. Tyson had his gun to your head. He wanted me to jump. It was me or you. So I jumped but I never hit water. I landed in a chair in the dark. I was strapped down with no hope of rescue. That's when your voice reached me. That's when you saved me. I thought I was drugged and dreaming you. But I heard you and I fought it off and I came back to you. I will always come back to you."

Kate is stronger than when he started. That passion that pushes her into the line of fire behind her eye. "I will always fight for you. But Tyson is gone Rick. There is no way to survive that fall. You don't have to worry now or in your sleep. Tyson is gone and I am right here to fight off anyone who tries to take you from me."

Castle isn't convinced that Tyson is truly gone, it was all too easy. A way for him to escape and start killing again. But he won't argue with her now. If he returns they will face it then, together. Because now they will face it all together. She will fight for him and he will fight for her. They are more than just partners and that means everything in the world. "I love you Kate." It is simple and complete. It wraps everything he feels and so much more into a small statement.

Kate hasn't found the right time to say those three little words yet. She feels them deep down in her soul but something is holding her back. She isn't ready to lose that control, to tear down that last brick. So when she opens her mouth to respond and "I love you too Rick." comes out she surprises them both.

Castle can't help the grin that breaks his face. Kate loves him. He knew it for longer than she has but to hear her say it. It is what makes this day better. It is the memory that he will carry with him forever. He leans down capturing her lips in a kiss. He has no words to tell her what those words mean to him so he shows it. Shows it in his kisses, his caresses, the care when they finally join together, in the whispered reminder of his love when they collapse against each other. She doesn't have to say it again. He could take hearing it once, just to have that one memory of the words coming from her lips.

As he slips back into unconsciousness, Kate's fingers gently drawing patterns on his chest he hears another whisper. "I love you Rick." He sleeps peacefully that night and Tyson doesn't appear in his dreams for the next several months because as long as Kate Beckett and her love are by his side he is safe and home.


	7. Quiet Night

**A/N: I know it's been a couple days. Real life hits sometimes. This isn't the story I intended to sit down and write but it struck me when I woke up this morning so here it is. As always thank you for the reviews, follows, favorites, etc. They keep me writing. Hope you enjoy this nice fluffy piece on this Castle free Monday.**

_It's quiet. Why is it so quiet?_ That's the first thought that Kate has when she slowly wakes up. A quick check of the clock tells her she's only been asleep a couple hours. _Why am I awake? _Rolling over to snuggle with her husband Kate is met not with the warm solid form of her writer but cool sheets.

Kate does a quick rundown of the previous evening. Caught a case late in the day but it was a open close jealous ex-wife vs. new wife situation. _Remember to never mess with Meredith or Gina. Who knows what they're capable of?_ That thought brings a small smile to her face. Got home just after dinner with Alexis. _I should call her and meet for lunch this week. She said she needed to talk about something._

The quiet sounds of keystrokes that filter from the office bring her out of her thoughts. Of course he's writing. Not much time to let Nikki and Rook get themselves in trouble anymore.

Pulling her robe on she pads quietly from the bedroom in search of Castle. A quick glance through the cracked door of the office melts Kate's office. It's a sight she will never get over. Her ruggedly handsome, amazing husband's feet are propped on the side of his desk, chair reclined slightly, laptop on his lap. It's a position that she has found him in several times over the years they have been together.

She can remember the first time she caught him like this. It was in the first week of them being together. She woke ready for another round; they didn't have work anyway with her suspension so why not have a little fun. The cool sheets startled her that time, it wasn't like Castle to not be there cuddling with her. She found him, fingers flying across the keyboard in the same position. It was the first time she got to watch him watch and damn it if it make her fall in love with him a little more. Something about watching not only her favorite author but partner turned so much more work was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Until recently.

The position might be the same but the addition of a sleeping baby boy snuggling against his chest is enough to melt Kate's heart.

She pushes the door open silently as to not disturb either of them. Leaning against the doorjamb she is content to watch, she owes him about 1000 creepy stares anyway. "It's creepy." His low voice is almost enough to startle her but the smile that crosses both of their faces quickly lessens it. Pushing from the door and crossing the room in a couple of strides Kate goes to join her family at the desk.

"Just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Which one of you couldn't sleep?" She drops a quick kiss to Castle's forehead and a longer kiss to the top of her sleeping son's. "Both I guess. I was already up when I heard him." He points to the monitor on the desk that was next to the bed when she went to sleep. "I figured you could use a couple more hours sleep."

Kate stands behind his chair gently massaging his shoulders as she says "Well I'm up now. Want me to take him? You have daddy duty all day." Without lifting an eye or finger from the computer he says "It's ok Kate. You can admit it. You love him more. I can take it." She lightly smacks his shoulder as she gently removes her still sleeping son from his chest.

Walking across the room Castle stops her putting his feet back on the ground and laptop back on the desk. "Where you going?" She rounds the desk sitting in the newly placed rocker in the corner of the room. "No where daddy. You write we'll just sit here and enjoy the view." She winks at him as he gets back to work, fingers flying across the keys.

"Hey little man. Have fun hanging out with daddy tonight. He's funny isn't he." Kate's whispers are interrupted by a "I heard that." coming from the desk. She never looks up to see the smile that graces his face to accompany it. "I missed you today. But don't worry mommy's out there catching all the bad guys. I love you Alex." They continue to rock in the quiet of the room.

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><p>Kate wakes to the gentle strokes of her husband's hand on her face. "Kate honey. Why don't you move back to the bed? Your back is going to be killing you in the morning." She opens her eyes to see the smiling face and bright blue eyes before her. "Where's Alex?" He helps her out of the chair placing a kiss on the top of her head as he leads her back to the bedroom. "Back in his crib. You both were out. He'll be awake again in a little bit though. Why don't we try to get a little sleep before then?"<p>

They fall into bed cuddling together, legs intertwined, hands clinging to each other. "I missed you today too daddy." She leans up to kiss the underside of his jaw. "I missed you too. Maybe I can come to the precinct tomorrow? Mother said she wanted to spend the day with her grandson." Kate pulls herself onto Castle's chest, smile so wide it reaches her eyes. "Really? That would be perfect. It's not the same around there without you."

She kisses him hard and deep, a lifetime of pent up love spilling from her lips. Hands roaming, teeth nipping, tongues battling, clothes flying, passions reconnecting they spend the next couple hours together remembering what it was like that first night. Before the days of separation, before days of hiding, the days of loving, before the fights, before the making up, before DC, before the wedding, before the honeymoon, before the pregnancy, before the birth of their baby boy. They spend those few precious hours together remembering what it was like when it was new and exciting. When all they had was each other and the world outside didn't matter anymore. They remember until the cries filter the room and the world, their new world comes crashing around them again.

Kate breaks the spell first. "I'll get him. You got the last one." As she moves to get out of the bed Castle grabs her arm. "I love you Mrs. Castle." She knows it shouldn't stop her heart to hear the name, they've been married over a year already but it does. "I love you too Mr. Castle." A quick smack on the butt lightens the mood as he pushes her out of the bed "Go check on out son. I'll get some coffee started for you."

They both make their way through the room holding hands, not ready for life to separate them just yet. She stands on her tiptoes at the door to the nursery to give him a quick kiss before going in. She knows from the sounds coming from the crib that Alex is hungry. He's always hungry. Throwing a bottle in the warmer before making her way over she quickly scoops up her 5-month old son. "Hey buddy. Thanks for the couple hours but you think we'll ever get a full night? Mommy and daddy need some sleep too you know." She takes the warm bottle and crosses the room to glider.

While she glides and Alex eats, Kate takes in the nursery they built together. Baby safari animals cover almost every surface, including prints of a baby elephant and lion that match the prints now housed in Castle's office. The tan walls and cream-colored furniture add a calming mood to the room. She tried to keep Castle from buying every stuffed animal at FAO Swartz to no avail. Animals twice the size of Alex line every wall of the room, waiting for him to be big enough to play with.

Kate's favorite piece in the room was a gift from Castle. Hanging above the crib is a custom mobile. Dedications from the Nikki Heat books hang with stuffed coffee cups, handcuffs, pens, and two Kevlar vests. It's everything that they are and everything that got them him. "It's a way for him to see us, know us, even when he's sleeping." he said when he gave it to her a couple nights before Alex was born. The tears that fell down her cheeks were not hormones that night.

"Where'd you go Mrs. Castle?" Castle's voice pulls her eyes away from the mobile and back to him leaning on the door, coffee in hand. "Just thinking about my amazing husband." He crosses the room, placing their coffee on the dresser, placing a gentle kiss to Alex's head before leaning up and kissing Kate. "He's got nothing on my beautiful wife."


	8. Mommy

**A/N: I couldn't find my motivation to write. Then I put my laptop on my lap and this popped out. Thanks again for the reads/follows/reviews/favs. Just started writing these because they wouldn't get out of my head but it's nice to know that others are reading them. ENJOY!**

"Mommy. Mommy." The little voice of the 3 year old barely registers to the still sleeping Kate Castle. "Mommy!" Snapping from her slumber Kate reaches out to him. "Hey little man. Bad dream?" She pulls her son up onto the bed next to her, whispering as to not disturb her sleeping husband.

"Monkeys with wings coming after me. Fly away with me. I scared mommy." The boys voice trembles as she rubs soothing circles up and down his back. _Richard Castle I'm going to kill you for showing our son The Wizard of Oz_ she thinks. "It's ok buddy. The flying monkeys can't get you. You want to try to go back to sleep?"

"Cartoons?" he asks, face puckering into a pout that would put his father to shame. She's putty in the dark haired, blue-eyed boys hands. "Just for a little bit ok. Go on out there. I'll be right behind you." she says slowly rising from the bed. "Alexander Castle. Do not run." she warns as he rushes out the door. "Ok mommy."

Kate looks over at the still sleeping Castle debating hitting him awake for putting her in this situation but one look at his peaceful, childlike face and she can't bring herself to do it. Placing a quick kiss on his temple she stands from the bed grabbing her robe on the way out of the room.

Alexander is already sitting on the couch in the living room when Kate exits the bedroom anxiously bouncing around. "Ok little man, what will it be?" she asks, already knowing the answer. For the last two weeks the same thing has been on repeat in the Castle loft. "Bues Cues!" he squeaks. _How did I know?_ she thinks but says "Just one tonight. Then you need to go back to sleep. Ok?"

She sits next to her son, pulling him into her lap as she selects a recorded episode of Blues Clues. Alexander dances along to the music while Kate struggles to keep her eyes open as the episode goes on. They didn't wrap up the last case until after 11 and she missed tucking him in again. By the time she made it home, showered and had dinner with Castle it was after 1. Looking at the clock on the TV she sees that she only managed 3 hours before this nightmare. _Why can't you wake your father up for once? This is his fault after all._

She doesn't blame Castle. He's back to being a stay at home dad until Alexander starts pre-school in a couple weeks. He misses being at the precinct as much as she misses him. She is thinking about him returning to work when Alexander doesn't dozes off in her arms she decides she is too tired to move him so Kate lays her head back starting the next episode in hopes of putting him asleep.

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><p>Richard Castle wakes to a cold sheet next to him. Climbing back to consciousness he knows that he went to bed with his wife curled up next to him. Maybe there was a body drop. But she just wrapped a case late the night before and surely Gates would have given them until at least noon. Opening his eyes to see the still darkened room he scans for any signs of her in the bathroom. When he is met with silence in the room and knows that he won't be able to go back to sleep until she is back in their bed he knows he must go off in search of her.<p>

He goes through the options in his head as he grabs his robe. _She could be watching Alexander sleep again. She does that sometimes after a hard case. Or Alexander had another nightmare. Crap we did just watch The Wizard of Oz today. I'm going to pay for this one._

He exits the bedroom hearing the soft sounds coming from the TV. Rounding the corner into the room he sees his very awake son sitting on his very asleep wife's lap. "Hey little man. Why are you up?" He reaches the couch carefully extracting him from Kate's lap without waking her. Alexander responds without taking his eyes off the screen. "Bad dream. Bues cues make better. Mommy sleep. Shhh."

Castle can't help but smile and place a kiss on his head as he whispers back "I see mommy's sleeping. Why aren't you? Let's get you back to bed" Alexander doesn't protest when he carries him up the stairs towards his bedroom. Castle thinks he might have fallen asleep already until he hears "Goodnight mommy."

Walking into his son's room Castle carefully puts him back into his racecar bed, pulling the sheets up around him. "Goodnight little man. Don't worry mommy and I are here to keep you safe. No more bad dreams. I love you." He places a quick kiss to his forehead as the toddler snuggles down into the sheets. "Luv you too daddy."

Castle stands in the door a couple minutes making sure he is asleep before pulling the door to and walking back down stairs. The mail song comes from the TV as he sits down on the couch next to Kate again. She's more beautiful then he ever remembers her being. Her face is angel like when the stress of the world is gone while she sleeps. Lightly brushing her cheek and jaw he whispers to her "Kate honey. Wake up and come back to bed."

She moves into his touch but still doesn't rise. Making a decision he hopes he won't pay for later he scoops up her sleeping figure from the couch, turning off the TV before heading back to the bedroom. He's not surprised when she snuggles closer to his throat once they start moving. Sleeping Kate is his favorite and he doesn't dare wake her now.

Placing her back on the bed he notices the bump on her stomach has grown a little bigger. 5 months along with Castle baby number 2 and he couldn't be happier. Leaning over the bump he places a soft kiss whispering to the baby inside when he feels her hand caress his head. Looking up he sees the smile forming behind her radiant green eyes. "Hey."

"Hey beautiful." the love in his voice stops her heart momentarily. Pulling his head up to hers she captures his lips in quickly deepening kiss. Pulling away when oxygen becomes necessary he moves to her side, hand rubbing her bump. "You carried me again didn't you?" her voices doesn't hold her anger she wants to display. He quickly smiles and replies "You just looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you up."

Thinking he is off the hook for why she had to be carried back to bed Castle chances a look back up from where his hand was resting only to be greeted by her look. "What?" Her voice rises as she lays into him. "The Wizard of Oz. Really Rick. He's 3 years old. That movie gives me nightmares and I'm…Well…Anyway. What were you thinking?"

She can see him faltering under her glare and calls upon every last acting tip she has learned from Martha to keep the smile from forming on her face. His voice sounds weaker than Alexander's when he responds. "He wanted to see it. How am I supposed to say no to that face? I forgot about the scary parts. I mean really how am I supposed to say no to that face?" She holds it together long enough to respond. "He thinks the flying monkeys are going to come and take him away. That was what his nightmare was."

He knows he blew it this time. She's angry but really how can she say no to their little boy. He's just so cute. Then he remembers something. "Wait a second. He has a nightmare. Comes in here and wakes you up. And you take him to watch cartoons rather than putting him back in bed?" He rises up on his elbow to look her more directly in the eye.

_Crap_. She knows she's caught and the smile grows on her face. "Ok so maybe I can't say no to that face either. But that's not the point. No more grown up movies. Got it?" He quickly responds with a kiss and a "Got it." She silently curses his ability to melt her heart, a trait his son has picked up, as she pulls him in for another kiss. The kiss deepens as hands roam; tongues battle and clothes are removed. As he kisses his way down her stomach, a sensation she is thoroughly enjoying, her stomach grumbles.

Kate can't hold back the giggle that forms in her throat, a sound he will never tire of hearing. "Baby must be hungry." He places a quick kiss on her bump, followed by another to her lips before he answers saying "What will it be tonight Mrs. Castle?" He watches her contemplate while he puts on his robe again. She finally says "Pickle pizza?" causing him to chuckle. Her pregnancy craves this time have been off the wall. But he loves her and if a pickle pizza is what she wants then a pickle pizza is what she'll get. "Coming right up. You stay here. I'll bring it in when it's done."

Kate moves to get up to follow grabbing his boxers and T-shirt from the floor next to the bed. "I'll come with. I'm up anyway." They share a quick kiss before heading into the main area of the loft. They separate when he suggests she relax on the couch while he gets everything together. Getting comfortable again she turns on the TV starting the Blues Clues episode again getting lost in the children's show.

Rick carries the hot pizza on a couple plates, if she's eating he could as least join her after all. He's surprised to see what she is walking when he approaches the couch. "Blues Clues? Haven't you've seen this enough lately? I swear I can't get him to turn it off." He laughs as she digs into the pizza before answering, a soft moan of approval accompanying her swallow. She finally says "I kind of like it. I see why he does at least. Blue is kind of cute in a creepy kind of way. Plus I don't get to see it as much as you do."

Kate can't help but feel the pang of guilt for missing so much of her son's life. Before she can dwell on it Castle says "You are a great mother Kate. You got up in the middle of the night with him. He went to you, not me, you. He loves you. And so do I." He pulls her onto his lap kissing her before quickly pulling away. The shock fills his voice as he says "That's disgusting. Pickles and pizza don't mix." She laughs as he dumps the slice of pizza from his plate onto the one in her hands, face still scrunched up. She says "I'm sorry if you're baby has weirder tastes than you. I mean do we even have to talk about the smorelette?"

Castle gets to her before she can bash another one of his brilliant kitchen masterpieces. Safely storing the pizza on the coffee table he has her pinned to the couch tickling her before she knows what hit her. Tickling her until she can't breathe he finally gives up giving her a searing kiss. Before things can escalate he scoops her up off the couch, pizza and TV forgotten and rush back into the bedroom. No more talk of kids shows, cravings or bad movie choices happen. Rick spends the next couple hours making sure that all of Kate's other pregnancy cravings are satisfied.


	9. Valentine's Day

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! Hope this is a special treat for the holiday. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has followed, reviewed, favorited or taken the time to read these stories. As much as I write them for me to fill my time during unemployment but it is nice to know that people are reading and liking the stories that pop out of my head. I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading. ENJOY!**

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><p>"Happy Valentine's Day Mr. Castle."<p>

Kate Beckett couldn't help but run her hand through the soft hair of her sleeping fiancé. The peaceful look on his face as he slowly awoke below her took her breath away. He was always just a little more handsome when he slept. Childlike in the best way, yet still the strong man she has come to lean on. Today was no exception.

Continuing her gentle strokes she bridged the last inches between their faces, softly kissing him. As she goes to pull away his hand startles her. He places his hand on the back of her neck holding her to him. Pulling back to look into his baby blue eyes Kate reaches down for another kiss, deepening this one until they are both gasping for air.

His voice holds the gravel that comes from sleep when he says "Happy Valentine's Day Kate. When did you get in?" Rolling onto his back to face her, Kate can see the pillow lines that crease his face. She can't help but smile at the adorable way he fights to stay awake before she responds, "I just got in. Sorry I messed up your dinner plans. I should have been here."

She wishes she didn't have to apologize. She wishes she didn't get the call right as she was leaving to meet him, hoping this Valentine's Day would be better than last year. They didn't have to hide it this year. Their engagement was public knowledge and they could finally have a normal Valentine's Day together, like a normal couple. A normal couple who ends up on Page Six the next day. But the call came in and here she is minutes from the fifteenth, hoping he isn't too mad at her. Hoping to make up for their lost time together.

Her face must show some of the emotions she is battling. He startles her from her thoughts. "Kate. It's not your fault. I understand murder doesn't take a holiday. We'll have dinner tomorrow night as a make up. I'm just happy you're here now." He pulls himself up kissing her gently to make his point.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, his coming to her waist they sit holding each other for a while. Her whispered "I love you Rick." breaking the silence of the room, sending sparks around the room causing a sudden change in the mood. His lips find hers, hands touching and caressing anywhere and everywhere they can reach. Soon they are both naked and locked in the passion of each other. What could have been minutes or hours passes before they are lying next to each other content.

"I do have a surprise for you. Let's say a make up from last year." His raw voice is like honey to her ears. Kate rolls over snuggling up to his side, hand running up and down his chest. "I do love surprises." She can't help but laugh when he responds "Liar. Come on."

Taking her hands in his, Castle leads her from the bed, helping her into her robe before putting his on as well. Intertwining their fingers he leads her from the bedroom into the main part of the dark loft. Kate had been in such a hurry to get to him she hadn't bothered to look any further into the space. When he flips the light switch in the kitchen she can't believe she missed it.

Standing on the counter, the table and every available space are vases of roses. Red, pink, and white mix into an awe-inspiring collection of flowers. "Rick. Did you buy out the entire store?" She kisses him quickly before he can respond. "They're wonderful but the ones you sent to the precinct were enough." Looking at her, smile crinkling the corner of his eyes he simply says "Nothing is ever enough for you. You deserve everything and so much more. I love you Kate."

Fighting back the tears that threaten to fall her voice is soft even to her own ears when she says "I love you too Rick." Pulling him to her by the lapel of his robe she kisses him hard, quickly deepening it. When her hand pulls on the tie of his robe he pulls back stopping her movement. The shocked look on her face brings a chuckle from his throat. "In good time. I have something else for you first."

Leaving a stunned Kate standing in the middle of the kitchen Castle moves around gathering a bottle of champagne, glasses and a small box before coming back to her. After a quick brush of his lips on hers he pops the bottle, filling the glasses. As he hands her one he slips the velvet box into her other hand.

Clinking their glasses together in a silent toast they both take a sip of the champagne before Castle eyes the box in Kate's hands. She takes his hint slowly, trying to draw out the moment of torture a little longer. Her curiosity eventually gets the better of her.

Looking between the package and her fiancé's face Kate begins to open the small box. His voice pulls her attention back to him. "Before you open that I just want to say that I love you. I can't imagine my life without you and I am so happy I get to call you my wife very soon. This is just another piece of my life and my heart that I want to share with you." Confused and a little intrigued Kate opens the box. Inside the box sitting on a small pillow is a set of keys. Setting her glass on the counter and removing the keys from the box Kate starts to smile. "Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"

Taking the keys from her hands and putting both of her hands into his Castle looks her straight in the eyes saying "Katherine Beckett will you move in with me?"

Standing on her tiptoes she pulls him into a deep kiss, hands gripping the back of his neck. When they separate she laughs slightly. "You do realize I practically live here right. I haven't been back to my apartment for longer than 10 minutes in over 2 months. But yes, I will move in with you. Officially."

Their kiss grows very passionate resulting in clearing of the counter and not for making the food her stomach so desperately wants. When they eventually come back to earth they both are sated and happy. Holding each other on the floor against a cabinet they sip their drinks in comfortable silence.

"I can't believe you did it." He looks at her as he questions "Did what?" Kate turns to face him, hands holding his. "You beat my gift from last year. A drawer is one thing, but an entire apartment. That's definitely a winner." They both laugh at the thought before Castle can respond. "Not that I was trying to one up you but I guess you're right. I was really just trying to get you something this year that I couldn't accidentally give to someone else first." She kisses him quickly again before saying "I think you did good job Mr. Castle. I love you."

"I love you too. Now when are we going to start? I was thinking we get a mover over to your place tomorrow, I mean this morning and get everything boxed and loaded. We can take the weekend and…" As Castle continues spelling out all of his plans to get Kate moved in she can't help but smile and think _I love this crazy man. We're getting married! _As her thoughts spiral something Castle says sparks her interest. Interrupting him she says, "Wait. What about my wedding dress? You are so not seeing that yet."

His face falls, knowing he's been caught "I'm just saying it'll have to go somewhere and it can go in the closet upstairs until then." Trying her best to keep a straight face Kate says "Do I get any say in when and how I move in with you?" Watching him stumble to backtrack she can't help the smile that grows. Looking up he sees the look on her face, gently shoving her shoulder "Very cruel. I just can't wait to have my fiancé here where she belongs."

Pulling herself into his side Kate tilts his chin so they are looking at each other. "Richard Castle I can't wait to move in with you. If you want that day to be today then that is what it will be. But you are not laying an eye on that dress or so help me God that will be the last thing you ever see." She smiles as she pulls him down for a chaste kiss his face reflecting the smile on hers. "I promise you Kate. I will wait until our wedding day to see how beautiful my wife is. I love you."

"I love you too. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day Kate."


	10. Writing

_What is that sound? _Kate is so not awake enough for this. It can't be past 2 am by the way her body feels and yet there is a clicking sound permeating her subconscious, trying to rouse her from her peaceful dreams. _Seriously where is that coming from? Why won't it stop? I'm never going to get back to sleep._

Opening one eye just to narrow down the suspects Kate takes in her surroundings. She's still in her bed, good sign after waking up drugged with a tiger in the next room. That was not a pleasant way to wake up. Though being handcuffed to Castle wasn't as bad as she had led on. Castle! When she went to sleep a couple hours ago he was spooning against her. Now where was he?

Rolling over she is met with cold sheets and a pillow that only has the scent of him. They've only been dating a couple of months now but she's grown used to waking up with him in her bed or her in his. His absence in her bed feels like a part of her is missing. A feeling she is not used to. She has always thought of herself as independent. Past relationships have proven that. When left alone at night she would be able to fall back asleep. But without Castle in her bed, cuddled against her she knows she won't be able to go back to sleep. Checking the time on the alarm clock she confirms her suspicions. 2:15 am. Time to find her boyfriend and bring him back to bed.

Suddenly the sound returns and Kate is scanning the room for the culprit. The faint glow coming from underneath her closed door tells her the sound is coming from out there.

Pulling on Castle's discarded dress shirt, Kate takes a second in inhale his scent. Even the traces of it that linger in the fabric cause her heart rate to quicken. Silently padding from the bed she steals herself before easing the door open.

Using her cop training and ninja like reflexes she slips up the hallway making no noise. Rounding the corner into her living room the sound grows until she spots him.

Sitting at her small kitchen table, back to her Castle is pouring over his laptop. Fingers moving at lightening speed over the keys causing the rhythmic clicking sound she heard in her sleep. She's not quite sure how any of the words coming out of those magical fingers make sense as fast as he is moving but he flows with ease. Years of practice hard at work.

Kate has never seen him like this, been privy to this side of him. Sure he has spent years watching her work but never has she been allowed to return the favor.

Taking in the full sight of him she notices his sleep rumbled hair, tousled from the many times his hands have run through it. Only wearing the boxers she pulled off of him earlier he sits completely at ease at her small table. His bare shoulders slightly hunched over the table showing the expanse of harden muscles his jackets and shirts kept hidden from her for years. Muscles she has come to map and trace with fingers, tongue and teeth.

He is so wrapped up in his words that he hasn't noticed her. Leaning against the wall she watches, time passing without her realization. She is mesmerized by him, his presence in her life. They are finally here, together, in this for real and it has opened up a whole new world for her. Love she never thought she would feel, an openness she fought so hard to have with anyone, a partner in every sense of the word and so much more.

There is something about watching him write. Knowing that the words on the screen have so long been his love for her, requited or not. She knows what the words mean to her, what his words have meant to her long before she knew him. He got her through so much more than he knew with those words. The same words that flow from his fingers like water through a stream. Seeing him writing in her apartment for the first time fills her heart with more love than she thought she could know.

Overwhelmed with the emotions rising in her chest Kate pushes off the wall, padding quietly up behind him. Sliding her arms over his shoulders, hands clasped together against his chest she lowers her lips to his ear. "Hey handsome."

Without looking up from the screen Castle leans back into her, head resting against her shoulder. "Staring is creepy Detective." She can't help the smile that forms on her lips as she replies "Turnabout is fair play, Mr. Castle. I've never seen you work before. Just think of it as payback for years of watching me do paperwork."

He chuckles as he comes to a stopping point, saving the file before turning his face to hers. He brushes his lips across her gently before pulling her around him into his lap. Another chaste kiss quickly deepens causing them both to break apart when air is desperately needed. "Hey beautiful. Did I wake you up?"

"There was this strange sound coming from somewhere and I had to see what it was. Nikki wake you up?" She runs her fingers through his hair as his run up and down her exposed thigh. He whispers in her ear "Let's just say my girlfriend sparked some ideas that needed to come out."

He captures her earlobe in-between his teeth, biting down gently before soothing it with his tongue. Arching into his chest, Kate can't stop the moan that is pulled from her throat. Moving from her ear to her neck he nips and grazes her warming flesh. Her hands roam the planes of this bare torso digging into muscles as her mouth meets his shoulder. Pulling his chin up she captures his lips in a searing kiss, quickly asking and receiving access into his mouth, tongues dancing.

Snaking his arms from around her waist, Castle closes his laptop and pushes it out of the way. Gently rising from the chair he turns Kate so she is seated on the table in front of him standing firmly in the v of her legs. Lips never separating he unbuttons her shirt, slowly pulling it off her shoulders lips meeting flesh as it goes. She leans back against the table, pulling him with her until they are both flat against the hard surface.

"If I knew you would have this reaction to watching me work I would have let you watch me sooner." She laughs as she runs her hands down his back gripping his backside pulling him to her. They are soon lost to the passion that swirls through the room, twice. When they finally lay next to each other, hands clasps, bodies spent, Kate rolls onto her side facing him.

"You have no idea how many times I have fantasized about that. But most of them were on your desk at the loft."

"You have no idea how many time I have fantasized about doing that on your desk in the precinct." He grins at the memory of the fantasy.

"Is they why you watch me do paperwork?" She playfully slaps his chest, pulling herself closer to his side. Resting her head on his shoulder, tangling their legs together she lets out a sigh of contentment.

"Feel free to watch me work anytime Kate. As long as I get to do this with you afterwards I would be happy to let you watch." He wiggles his eyebrows eliciting a roll of her eyes before kissing her quickly.

"I love you Rick." The words slip out of her mouth before she can stop them. She has known how she has felt since she showed up at his door that rainy night but has never allowed herself to say it out loud. This moment, this new connection they have pulls the feelings from her without her normal filter. The words are out there now and the smile on her face says she couldn't be happier about it.

His heart stops. There is no other way to put it. Hearing those three words that he has been dying to hear from her lips stops his heart. He has known her feelings were deep, known that they were on the path to something more but he didn't know how close they were. She has always been a mystery and this new piece is almost more than he can handle. Fighting back the emotions that clog his throat he tilts her chin up to look her in the eye before he whispers back "I love you too Kate. So very much."

The tears flow freely from both sets of eyes. Happy tears stemming from years of wanting, waiting, loving and caring pent up now released. They were finally opening up to each other, revealing small parts of their souls trusting the other to hold them forever.

He stands slowly from the table, taking her hands in his. Guiding her back to her bedroom he steals kisses, touches, caresses as they walk both on a cloud of happiness. The rest of the night is spent showing each other their love. Taking their time to explore it and all its new facets.

As the sun rises, streaming small rays of light through the curtains Kate turns back to Castle looking him in the eyes as she says "I love you." Tracing the contours of her cheeks, the slope of her lips with his fingers he replies "I love you too."

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><p><strong>AN: I won't be for reviews but I will say thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoy writing these and as long as there are people out there to read them I will keep writing them.**


	11. I Miss You

**A/N: I cannot thank everyone enough. Over 100 followers, lovely reviews that bring a smile to my face, and more views and reads than I could have imagined. My writing motivation has been spread thin and all of these have served as encouragement for me to keep writing these stories. So THANK YOU and please as always ENJOY!**

**A/N 2: This story is split in two. It is a little different than my previous stories. It is set prior to Always. Today's is told through Kate's perspective, tomorrow's will be Castle's.**

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><p>There would be no more sleeping tonight. Kate was sure of it. Sleep hadn't been coming easily lately and tonight would not be any different.<p>

Sure she crashed as soon as her head hit the pillow earlier but the nightmare hit again a couple hours into her slumber. It was a nightmare she knows all too well. The one that haunted her for months before she started seeing Dr. Burke. The same nightmare she has had since the bombing. She didn't know why it had returned. She guessed it had something to do with watching other people's lives so carelessly ended that had sparked its return.

She was standing at the podium again on that sunny afternoon, her friend and mentor lying in the coffin in front of her. Only the four of them knew what really lead them to this place, where tears flowed like small rivers down cheeks and the pain seemed like more than anyone should have to handle. He had sacrificed himself for her, to keep her safe and right the wrongs of his past. She couldn't hate him, couldn't blame him. All she could do was mourn his loss. Another loss she wasn't prepared to handle.

Standing at the podium, saying the words he had spoke to her days earlier, she knew who she wanted with her when she made her stand. She guessed she always knew even before her brain would let her listen to her heart. He was there next to her like he always had been. After everything that had been said, all the pain she had caused them, he was still there. Standing by her side when she needed him the most. He was more than her partner, more than her friend. He was her everything and she finally knew it.

She never saw the flash, didn't have time to register the sound of the shot. All she felt was the burn of the bullet and his weight carrying her down. Down onto the soft, too green grass that was now being stained red. The difference with her nightmare, the one that has haunted her for so long, was that she hears his words, hears him begging her to just stay with him but she doesn't. Every time she wakes in a cold sweat with the images of the blinding light and the knowledge that she left him behind, left the words she should have said hanging there.

Tonight is no different. The images are the same. But tonight as has been in the nights since he left her standing in the precinct wondering what he was going to say, seeing the hurt he was trying to mask, the lack of words hurt more. The sting of the things she wishes she could say to him, the truth he deserves to know haunts her.

Sitting up in her bed she knows she will not sleep again tonight. The voices in her head are waging war and she cannot quiet them down. Nothing has quieted them down since that day.

She loves him. She's known it since before that fateful day. The day she didn't think she would wake up, wouldn't get to see his piercing blue eyes, his ruggedly handsome face, his all to familiar form again. She suspects she's loved him since she broke up with Tom. Since she decided to give them a shot and go to the Hamptons. She loved him then and she loves him more now. And that love scares her.

He's been breaking down her walls, piece by piece. It's been a battle with no victors only damage and survival. He's pushed, pulled and wrangled every last piece down. There is nothing left but her heart. And she's ready to give it to him. She's ready to love him, to have him love her in return. She thought he was too.

There had been a moment during the case. A brief moment where she thought he was going to tell her. Well tell her again. He was going to lay it all out there and she wanted him to. She wanted the chance to tell him how she felt. This case had proven that you can't take life for granted. She's tired of waiting to be ready, to find her mother's killer. She just wants him. But then they got interrupted, well Ryan interrupted yet again, and the moment was gone.

She thought when the case was over they would have their shot. He said it could wait until after the case and she was willing to give him that time. But things started to get weird then weirder.

He came and left her coffee without a word without seeing her, the looks and comments when he returned, his sudden exit that night. They all added up to something but she wasn't sure what. But it didn't look good.

She knows she hasn't been honest with him, hasn't been fair to him. But she wasn't ready. As Dr. Burke said she's been healing. She needed time to heal, from the shooting, from her mother's death, from everything she has spent years running from. He knew she needed time. She told him herself. But she couldn't keep him waiting any longer.

She was going to tell him everything. That's why she wanted to go get a drink, spend some time outside of the precinct and away from the case together. Those moments together were rare and the only way they could move forward. That drink was supposed to move them forward but he just left.

Kate knows that she won't sleep tonight, knows that there are too many unanswered questions. She'll have to talk to Lanie about it. She needs to know what to do. Tomorrow they'll get together after work. Maybe a glass of wine and some girl talk will put it all in perspective. But tonight she won't sleep. Tonight she will sit in her bed thinking of him.

She wonders what he's doing. Is he at home not sleeping like her? Is he writing another chapter for the new Nikki Heat? Is he with his daughter playing a late night game of laser tag? Is he thinking of her?

Kate grabs her phone from her nightstand. Checking the time she knows that 2 am is too late to call him. They've barely spoken since the case anyway. But she needs to reach out to him. To let him know she cares, that she's still here, that she's thinking of him.

It's too late to call so she quickly types out a text. _Keep it casual. Just a little reminder that she goes back on call tomorrow and that you will call him if and when you get a case._ She shakes her head at herself as she deletes the crap she just typed across the screen. Staring at the device for another couple minutes she finally comes up with the only thing that conveys what she needs to tell him. The only truth she can give him tonight.

In the generic iPhone font on the too bright screen she sends: Castle, I miss you. Kate


	12. I Miss You Too

**A/N: Part 2 of this little story. Castle's POV of the events before The Limey. Again can't thank everyone enough for everything. ENJOY!**

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><p>All Richard Castle wants to do is forget. Forget how much he loves her. Forget how much he misses her. Forget the words she heard him say when she didn't know he was listening. Forget the words he said when he thought he was going to lose her. Forget his life in New York. Just forget everything for a little while.<p>

That is why he decided to fly to Las Vegas last night. The distance, the tables, the alcohol, they were all supposed to be tools to help him forget. But the problem was he couldn't.

No matter how much he drinks, how much money he loses, how many girls throw themselves at him he can't forget. That's why he is sitting alone in his suite at almost 11 pm awake and doing nothing but remembering.

He almost lost her that day. He was a couple seconds too late to save her. A couple seconds behind the bullet that pierced her chest. The bullet that left her blood on his hands while she laid on the ground under him. He watched the life drain out of her on that grass. He watched Lanie fight to keep her alive in the ambulance and as they raced down the hall.

He sat in that hallway knowing he put her in the cross hairs. Josh had said what he already knew. He never thought he would see her again. Never thought she would make it out of that hospital. He never dreamed he would get to hear those words he spoke to her returned.

He needs a drink. The mini bar will have to do tonight. He's not up for facing the world. The memories haunt him more tonight than they have. He knows the reason why. But he's not ready to face that yet. Castle grabs a couple bottles out of tiny fridge, downing them quickly.

He just wants to forget.

He was ready to tell her. Repeat those three words that he shared with her on that ground. The bombing had put it all in perspective. He wasn't guaranteed a tomorrow with Kate and he wasn't about to waste another today. He was going to tell her he loved her again.

He went in that morning full of nerves and hope. Nerves that she wasn't ready to hear the words, didn't feel them in return. Nerves that he could get everything he ever dreamed of or come crashing down to earth. Hope that she loved him too, that her wall had come down, that she was ready. His hand was shaking as he gave her that coffee but she didn't notice. He was so close to getting the words out before Ryan interrupted. He could have smacked him for his lack of timing again. But the words could wait. He had waited that long he could wait until the case was over.

Things had been moving forward between them since she showed up at his book signing. She came to find him and they had talked some of it out. She had asked him to wait and he was more than willing to do that. Josh was gone and even if she didn't remember what he said she was there with him and she wanted him around. That was enough. He could wait for her.

Even during one of the most difficult cases they had faced they were getting closer. He knew she could feel it too. And then it all fell apart. She didn't know what her words had done to him. She didn't know he had heard them at all. She didn't know that he knew her secret. She didn't know just how heartbroken he was.

He fled that day and he fled the day he came to Vegas. He had to get away from her. Finishing out the case was hard enough but being around the constant reminders of her were his undoing. Kate was everywhere he looked. In the loft, on the street, in his words, in his thoughts, in his dreams, she was everywhere he was and he didn't want her to be.

The first night in Vegas had been enough to drown her out but the hangover this morning was more than he thought he could handle. As much as he wanted to repeat that performance tonight his heart wasn't in it. His heart was with her, in New York, in shambles.

She remembered. This whole time she remembered what he said to her. Remembered everything that happened the day they buried Roy Montgomery. She had played him for a fool this whole time. Leading him to believe that she didn't know that he loved her. Making him think that there was a chance they could be together if he could just get through those walls of hers.

But she obviously didn't love him. If she did she would have said so, would have told him she knew what he said. Even if she wasn't ready, if she was still healing, he would have waited. He had been doing that anyway. But everything was different now. She didn't love him and probably never would.

He knows he should talk to her about it. Maybe give her the chance to explain everything but the time for explanation has passed. Now he just wanted to forget, to move on and away from her.

The first step in his plan was to empty his mini bar. Screw the hangover he knew would come again in the morning. Screw the memories that were tearing his insides apart. Screw everything. Tonight he was going to feel nothing and think of nothing. Tonight he would escape.

With every bottle a image of her passed before him. At crime scenes, doing paperwork at her desk, lines formed between her eyes when she's staring at the murder board, the way she rolls her eyes at his theories, the cute way she bites her lower lip, all of these snapshots of their years together haunt him with every drink.

What seems like hours passes at mere minutes. A little after 11 he has emptied the mini bar and still feeling everything. The alcohol has only heightened the pain, made it all feel more real. He won't forget tonight. Tonight he will love her from afar, mourn her loss like she didn't survive that day and miss her like she is gone forever.

He faintly registers the sound of his cell phone when the text message comes through. It's enough to pull him out of the flash of her standing in the interrogation room ripping his heart out. He stumbles to his phone on the table and swipes open the screen.

It's from her. He's almost afraid to open it. What could she want from him now? She could be letting him know about a body, she is on call soon. She could be ready to try for that drink again. She could have sent him it by mistake. He knows he'll never know until he opens it.

Closing his eyes he opens the message and is not prepared for what he sees. Five words fill the screen. Three of the words that only break his heart all over again. _Castle, I miss you. Kate_.

His emotions are getting the best of him. The alcohol is only hindering his thoughts. He misses her too. How can he not? She is the love of his life. Nothing will change that. His non-sober mind can't let her go, can't let the hope of them go. Going with his heart, and the alcohol he types in his reply and sends it without thinking. _I miss you too._


	13. I Need You, I Want You

**A/N: So after some inspiring reviews and some searching in myself I decided that I wasn't finished with this small story. It enters more into AU territory, as I was never happy with Castle's actions in Limelight. Again thank you for everything that supports/inspires me to pull my laptop out and focus. ENJOY!**

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><p>Kate paced around her kitchen. <em>This is stupid. It's just a text message. <em>She walked to where she had dropped her phone in the sink an hour earlier. She wasn't expecting the words that had appeared on the screen. They were more than her heart had hoped for.

I miss you too.

They said everything and nothing at all. They were the reason that she was in her kitchen at 3 am pacing back and forth.

She had sent him the text on a whim and a prayer. She just needed to have some form of contact with him. She needed him to know that she was still here, still thinking of him. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing she was sitting here thinking of him.

She would have been fine without a response. The pain of not knowing would have been there but she had expected it. She would have been happy with a single word, something to acknowledge that he got her message. But she wasn't prepared for what she got. He missed her too.

How could four words stir up so many emotions? Anger, love, hurt, joy, need, want all swirled through her. If he missed her then why didn't he call? Why did he disappear? If he missed her that meant he still cared and they still had a shot? If he missed her as much as she missed him how could he stand another moment apart?

She needed to respond. She needed to send something back into the universe. Picking up her phone again she hovered her fingers over the screen. _Stop being stupid Kate. You've had more conversations with this man than any of your past relationships combined. You can put together one little text message._ The anger and frustration at herself bubbled up sparking a thought and some quick typing on the screen. Before she could think about it she pressed send, turning the phone upside down on the counter in an attempt to hide it all away from herself.

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><p>Castle was feeling the effects of the alcohol now. He had been drinking for hours and was finally starting to forget. Never forget her, that was impossible, but forget the circumstances that brought him here. He felt good, happy and he wanted her. He wanted Kate.<p>

Stumbling back to his suite he misses her more than ever. The many women he had seen tonight didn't hold a candle to her. She was more than any of them could hope to be. He missed everything about her. Halfway across the country she might as well be halfway across the world. He put himself in this position, fleeing when he should have fought.

He should have told her he heard her. She should have told him she heard him. They should have fought it out until he could pull her in his arms and call her his. He just wanted her. So what if she has known all these months what he said? He said those words then and he would say them again now. He loved her. He loves her. He will love her for the rest of his life.

Through his alcohol haze he faintly registers his phone vibrating in his pocket. He makes several attempts to pull the device out before collapsing on the bed. Now that the room isn't spinning as badly the device frees itself easily. Fumbling his way through opening it up he sees it a text from Kate. A response to something he sent her earlier but can't quite remember. _What did I say? Oh god, please don't tell me I sent her a sext or booty call._

Opening the message his heart stops before quicken its rhythm. _She can't mean that. Not after all this time._ Three words that cloud his vision, make his heart threaten to beat out his chest, make his palms go sweaty taunt him from the screen. I need you.

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><p><em>What have I done? Why did I send that? Who's brilliant idea was it to text him in the first place?<em> Kate can't stop moving. From the bedroom to the kitchen to the living room she moves across every space of her apartment nervous. She's more than nervous, she's terrified.

She told him she needed him. It wasn't a lie but she's not sure she should have sent it. After everything she has put him through, everything they have been through together how can she say that now? The bombing had put it all in perspective. She didn't want to waste another minute without him but to send him that at 3 am is one of the dumbest decisions she has ever made.

It's been hours since she sent it now. She should be waking up for work any minute not on her third cup of coffee in as many hours. He obviously wasn't ready. Who says he even still loves her? Who is she to need him? How can he love her?

But he keeps showing up. He brings her coffee every morning, rolls out of bed at all hours when they have a body, sits in his chair for hours while she does paperwork. He shows up for her everyday. It can't be about the research, he has enough to finish a hundred books by now. It can't be about the boys, though their little three-way bromance is adorable. It has to be because he loves her. But then the bombing was over and he's been gone. What had happened?

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><p>He's been on his phone all morning. He needed to make plans. There were details that needed to be finalized before he came back. She needs him and he's going to be there for her. He can do this for the both of them.<p>

Standing in the hanger he can't help but smile at the cup of coffee clinched in his hand, the black liquid finally starting to stave off the effects of his bad decisions. This one small drink so much a part of who they are, the time they share. It helps him now as it helps her smile everyday. He will sleep on the plane, shower when he gets home and attempt to look human again before he sees her. He can't let her find him like this.

He owes her an explanation as much as she owes him. They both need to work on their communication but they have a lifetime to do that. He will fight for them, for the future he sees with her. Kate is his future, his everything and it took one near death, a couple bombs, one last wild weekend and a couple of text messages in the middle of the night to tell him that.

As he boards the plane he checks his phone, just after 5 am. She will be walking into the bullpen soon if they didn't get a call. She'll drop her bag and jacket before heading into the break room. Her routine so engrained in him he can see her now. He hopes his called in favors come through. He hopes this day is one she will remember for a lifetime. As he takes off and leaves Vegas behind he can almost picture what is going on in New York and what is waiting for him when he gets there.

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><p>Kate walks into the precinct defeated. No sleep, no response, no distractions, no Castle. This morning has started out rough and the day can only go down from here. The familiar chime of the elevator signals the arrival on her floor. Force of habit pulls her off the back wall and into the bullpen. No thought behind her approach to her desk, years of the same movements propelling her along. It isn't until she sets her bag down that she sees it.<p>

It's such a small thing, but it's their thing. On her desk, right next to her elephants is a cup of coffee and a bear claw. Looking around the empty bullpen she can't help but wonder where they came from. Castle is no where to be seen and Ryan and Esposito are never in as early as she is. So where did it come from?

Taking a drink of the coffee, made like only he can, she sits down in her chair. _Maybe he does still care. But where is he? How did he do this?_

Before she can get lost in her thoughts dispatch calls her phone. Another body is waiting for her team. Grabbing her coat and the last of her delicious surprise from her desk she heads towards the elevators. Meeting Ryan and Esposito who are about to step off she quickly fills them in on the way back down.

Ryan is the first to notice the coffee in her hand. "Castle here?" The smile on her face forms of it's own accord. "I haven't seen him. This was waiting on me when I came in. You guys know anything about it?" Both detectives shrug unconvincingly. _Oh they know something and I'm going to get it out of them._

* * *

><p>Landing in New York Castle feels like a new man. The messages that were waiting for him on his phone when he arrived were proof that his plan was going accordingly. She has had her coffee and bear claw. They got called out on a case but it looked to be a simple Jack killed Bill over Jill. Her paperwork load was light and should be finished by shift end. All in all baring another body drop he would be on schedule when he got there.<p>

He hurried around the loft, giving quick answers to his mother and Alexis but only when asked. The extra bounce in his step must have been a sign because both couldn't help following him around in his process. Finally when all had been settled there he filled them in on the plan and what he hoped would happen. Both women promised to vacate the loft for the evening but promising to be available should things crash and burn.

Getting into the town car at 4 he knew she was a short trip away. Firing off another text to Esposito he can't help but drum his fingers on the screen waiting for a response. It comes through a couple minutes later and his smile widens. She is still there and the last part of his plan just arrived. All that was left was for him to get to her. He needed to tell her, he needed to see her, he needed her like she needed him.

* * *

><p>Kate couldn't help but stare at the single red rose that set on the corner of her desk. She had gone to the file room to wrap up their case and it was there when she came back. The smirk on Ryan's face screamed that he was the one to place it but the note attached said that her partner was behind it all.<p>

He had been behind all of the little surprises today. From the coffee and breakfast to the Remy's delivery at lunch to the rose with a note. He had been a part of her day. Sure he wasn't answering her texts, all 22 of them. Sure he wouldn't pick up her phone when she called. She may not have known where he was but part of him had been with her all day. Her partner even from a distance.

He had sent her a note that said it all. Three simple words that meant so much, I want you.


	14. I Love You

**A/N: Last part of this story I swear. I debated long and hard about pulling it out of this series of one shots but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Bare with me. After this we will get back to our regularly scheduled fluff. I blame an Adele music streak for the sappiness of this chapter. But who doesn't love some Caskett sap. Suggestions, comments, concerns are welcome. ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>Richard Castle was nervous. He had been building up to this surprise all day. Any minute now Kate would be walking out the doors and hopefully into his arms. That was where he wanted her to be. It's always has been where he wanted her to be.<p>

He wanted her more now than ever before. He couldn't explain where it came from. All he knew was that she missed him and needed him and he wanted her. They had come so close at having the conversation they were going to have a few days ago. He still owed Ryan a kick in the ass for getting in the way. They would talk about it and everything else tonight. They would work on it together.

If she would just walk out those damn doors.

* * *

><p>Kate was starting to get annoyed.<p>

The boys had been shooting her looks every couple minutes for the last hour. They have never been subtle but today takes the cake. "Don't you boys have paperwork to file or something?" Espositio steps into the line of fire this time. "Beckett why don't you take off. We'll finish up here. No new body. Get some rest. You look like you could use it."

* * *

><p>"Gee thanks for telling me I look like crap Espo. Just for that you guys can finish up this report. I'm out of here." Kate shuts down her computer quickly before standing from her chair. She doesn't wait for a second push out the door. Her body humming with excitement she grabs her coat and bag heading for the elevator. She calls out a quick good night as the doors shut.<p>

Epsosito wastes no time pulling out his phone and firing a quick text off to Castle.

Mom is on her way down to you. Don't screw this up man. Good luck.

He smiles when he gets a quick response: Don't worry she's safe with me. I don't plan on letting her go this time.

* * *

><p>Castle can't get his nerves under control. Any longer and his hand might squeeze the flowers clutched in his palm in half. She's on her way. On her way to him and she has no idea.<p>

The years of memories they've shared flash through his mind quickly. The bantering, the smiles, the tears, the close calls and the fun dance through his head as he stands on the sidewalk waiting. He's love her since she showed up at his book launch. Loved her more when she revealed her past. Cherished her when she confided in him. He's grieved for her losses and cheered for her accomplishments. For the last 4 years he has shared everything with her and he couldn't wait to share everything for the rest of their lives.

* * *

><p>Kate's phone chimes as she exits the elevator in the lobby. She pulls it out of her pocket thinking it might be Ryan with an update. She smiles when she sees it's from Castle. Opening it quickly she stops in her tracks, people pushing past her. There are no words just a picture, a picture too good to be true. He's standing against a town car, flowers in hand with a smile reserved only for her.<p>

Regaining her footing she is thinking of a way to respond when she steps out onto the sidewalk outside the building. She is so lost in her phone she doesn't sense him approach. She is so lost in what it could mean that she doesn't look up until the flowers from his hand appear above her phone.

She's afraid to look up. It can't be true. He can't be here. After everything they've been through it's just too good to be true. But when the hand pulls her chin making her meet his eyes she is lost. Lost in the blue eyes just inches from hers. "You're here." Her voice comes out as no more than a whisper, afraid her voice will scare the image away.

* * *

><p>She's more beautiful than he remembers, the days apart only enhancing her beauty. But the look on her face is what does him in. Her eyes tell him everything, she doesn't believe he's really there. She whispered the words seconds earlier but is still struggling with the reality.<p>

Faster than his brain can think he pulls her to him, arms wrapping tightly around her waist. He wants to prove to her that he is real, that this is real. "I'm here Kate. I'll always be here." He kisses her head as she exhales into him, barely holding onto her emotions. Who's he kidding his emotions are teetering on collapse. Holding her like he has only dreamed on the busy sidewalk he pulls himself together carefully pushing her away but not breaking contact.

Gently cupping her cheek while his other hand holds onto her waist he looks into her piercing hazel eyes. The green flecks winning the daily battle over the brown. He'll never tell her but he loves her eyes like this, chameleon eyes that surprise him everyday. "I'm here Kate. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you."

* * *

><p>He's really here. He came back to her. She doesn't know where he went, the shadows under his eyes telling her wherever it was he has lost as much sleep as she has. So many questions run through her head but all she can concentrate on his the burn his fingers are causing on her skin. He holds her like he's been doing it for years. Holding her like he does in her dreams.<p>

She could get lost in the moment with him. The world could spin out around them and she wouldn't know it. At this moment in time she is standing in front of the man she loves who's love for her is radiating off of him. She's finally home.

"You are a very tricky man Castle. Leaving me wondering all day. I know you were behind all my little surprises today." She sounds more composed than she feels inside.

He laughs before responding, "I had to be a little sneaky. You needed me and it took me a little longer to get back to you than I thought. I had to do something until I could get here."

She can't hold in the questions any longer, her curiosity getting the better of her. Before she can ask he interrupts her "Now as much as I love standing outside the precinct we have plans that involve moving from this spot. You ready for dinner Ms. Beckett."

The hand he holds out for her stops all questioning. He has a plan and she is willing to lose control tonight. She trusts her partner with her life and her heart. She places her hand in his as he guides her to the car allowing her to enter first.

* * *

><p>Before Kate can realize what is going on they are pulling up in front of Castle's loft. Their conversation had been light filling the comfortable silences during the trip. She had been so wrapped up in the feeling of his fingers intertwined with her own that she hadn't thought to see where they were going.<p>

Stepping onto the sidewalk in front of the building she looks at him questioningly. "Castle I thought we were going to dinner?" He doesn't respond but pulls her through the door, to the elevator, down the hall and to the front door. He doesn't say a word until he turns to face her back against the door with his hand on the handle. "Kate, I want this to work, us to work. Tonight is about taking the steps to make that happen." He opens the door behind him a smile on his face as she takes in the room.

* * *

><p>Kate takes a couple small hesitant steps into the loft. The room glows softly from the candles and fireplace making the large room seem smaller and more intimate. The sight would have terrified her even days ago but this new Kate who is willing to put it all on the line enters the room ready for what lies ahead.<p>

It all seems so simple now. Standing in his loft knowing where they are heading Kate knows she can have it all. All she has to do is start, start with being honest. She knows what he needs to hear and she can't wait any longer to tell him.

Turning around she sees he is right behind her, watching her take it all in. Taking the few steps up to him she doesn't hesitate to put her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to meet hers. The kiss is chaste but powerful. Both of them reel from the contact. A series of deeper kisses temporarily distracts her from her initial plan. Pulling away from him she looks him in the eyes saying the words she has been waiting months to share with him.

"I remember everything from that day. I have for a while. I can't apologize enough for lying to you all this time but I can tell you that I love you too. I love you Rick."

* * *

><p>It doesn't come as a shock to him, her admission. He already knew, knew that she remembered and that she loved him. He was prepared to push her until they got to this level of openness. Willing to put in the months of effort to break down this wall.<p>

But just like always Kate surprises him. She isn't holding back anymore, putting it all on the line and it makes him love her more.

He knows he needs to say something. Her face growing more concerned by the minute. Bringing his hand to her face he stokes her cheek, eyes, lips, nose. He drinks in every line on her face while he steels his resolve. He knows what to say, he's said it before. There will be many conversations to go after this. Many things to work out and through together but this is the best place to start. Loving one another.

He looks down at her, the woman his dreams couldn't even imagine and repeats the words he told her on that day he thought he lost her. "I love you. I love you Kate."


	15. Cravings

**A/N: We return to the world of fluffy Caskett nighttime activities. I think they will be one shots from here on out but as with any writing the stories take on minds of their owns sometimes. I hope you ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>All Castle wants to do is curl up in bed with Kate. They had been going none stop since the body drop call came in before the sun even thought about rising this morning and at just past midnight they were finally making their way back into the loft.<p>

It had taken every dirty trick he had up his sleeve to get her to leave the precinct. At one point he resorted to all out begging, not his most manly moment he'll admit. The ribbing he'll receive from Ryan and Esposito is worth it though. Kate has been dead on her feet for the last couple hours despite the multiple coffees he made sure she had.

Of course it doesn't help that they are decaf coffees now. A couple months into the pregnancy and she is taking the caffeine withdrawals almost as hard as the morning sickness. No one liked a caffeine free Beckett before but the new sleep deprived, constantly sick Beckett without caffeine was enough to send even the toughest cop running in the opposite direction.

Not Castle though, he was there through every trip to the bathroom, late night craving, every body drop and sleepless night. He always knew that pregnancy would be a challenge with his new wife but he never imagined what the late nights and wake up calls would do to the both of them.

Moments after arriving back at the loft Kate had marched straight to the bathroom slamming the door behind her. Castle followed thinking she was sick again until he heard the water start to fill up the tub. The case they caught today had already taken a toll on her and he knew she needed some time to decompress.

Quickly changing out of his clothes leaving just his undershirt and boxers on he decided to wait for her on the bed before getting her a snack to eat. She was getting better about eating now that she was eating for two but still barely touched the Chinese they ordered earlier in the evening. Grabbing the book he was reading he settled back against the headboard.

* * *

><p>Kate sat in the bathtub completely drained. It had taken all of her energy to strip out of her clothes to get in the tub. The warm water sapped the last of her reserves as soon as she reclined against the back of the tub.<p>

Her whole body hurt. When they talked about getting pregnant she knew that growing another life would take a toll on her body but she didn't expect it this early on. She was three months along and she could barely hold herself together some days. She knew the early morning call didn't help but the constant trips to the bathroom and lack real sleep over the last week have worn her down.

She can blame no one but herself for the lack of sleep. Pregnancy brought with it many strange cravings and the one that needed to be satisfied the most recently was the one she had for her husband. In the blink of an eye she could go from calm collected Detective Beckett to insatiable Mrs. Castle. At home, at work, morning, noon, night it didn't matter. She was hot for her husband and had to fill the need when it came.

Of course he was more than willing to oblige her craving and they were having fun with this new side to her. There wasn't a room in the loft that hadn't fallen victim to them and the supply closet at the precinct was becoming one of her favorite rooms in the building.

Lying in the tub thinking about the encounter they shared a couple hours earlier in that very closet Kate suddenly found the energy she had been missing 20 minutes earlier when she dropped heavily into the tub. She needed her husband and she needed him now.

She knew she hadn't been fair to him tonight. She had resisted his efforts to bring her home when she thought she was moments away from making a connection by staring at the murder board. He had begged her to come home and get some rest. Begged in front of Ryan and Esposito, which she knew was not something he would have done willingly unless he was really concerned about her.

They rode back to the loft in silence, her fuming from being drug from the case before she was ready to leave and him giving her the space he thought she needed. He didn't even question when she walked straight to the bathroom and slammed the door. She wasn't angry at him, just irritated with the situation. He was concerned about her and the baby and she was concerned about getting a killer off the streets. She knows her priorities are going to have to change and they have until she gets wrapped up in a case.

He has been nothing but understanding since they found out there months of trying had finally paid off. She knows she's a nightmare without her coffee. The decaf coffee's he brings her do nothing to take off the fatigue but they are part of them. Her mood swings and cravings have been off the charts and that doesn't even begin to cover the morning sickness that doesn't just come around in the mornings. He has been there through it all taking the brunt of it in stride loving her like he always has.

Stepping out of the bathroom with her robe loosely tied around her front she can't help but smile. Castle is propped against the headboard, book lying across his chest sound asleep. As she walks up to him she registers the soft sound of his snores. She doesn't want to wake him but the desire that built up in the bathroom has only grown in seeing him sleeping so adorably. Carefully pulling the book from his hands she sets it on his nightstand before sitting next to him.

Running her fingers through his hair she whispers, "Rick. Babe. Wake up." He stirs slightly hands rising to rub his eyes like a child waking up. "Kate."

Putting both hands on his cheeks she pulls him within inches of her own face before responding. "Not the baby. Me. I need you. Now." She captures his lips with her own before he can react quickly pulling herself onto his lap straddling him.

* * *

><p>Castle quickly shakes of the last of his exhaustion when he feels Kate on his lap. She is working wonders with her tongue in his mouth and his hands are struggling to keep up the furious exploration of her body.<p>

He loves this version of Kate. Pregnancy has brought out a new sexual side of her that he didn't know existed. Their sex life before had been mind blowing to say the least but since getting pregnant they had reached a whole new level neither knew existed. He was her willing slave whenever the mood struck and would never complain that his wife wanted him in a primal way at all hours of the day.

Pulling back from her kiss he watches in wonder as her dark eyes so full of need and desire when they finally meet his. Sitting in front of him, body beginning to show the effects of the life growing in her he has never thought she was more beautiful. He whispers "You're breathtaking Mrs. Castle." into her ear before taking the lobe into his mouth biting it softly. Her back arches at the sensation pushing her chest farther into his.

Before he knows what happens they are both naked and sprawled out on the bed panting after their second round. "Apology accepted." He chuckles as she playfully swats at his chest, words failing her while she tries to control her breathing. She rolls onto her side, sliding over into his tangling her legs with his. She runs a hand over his cheek, nose, swollen lips before saying "I love you."

"I love you too." They share a deep kiss until Kate's stomach growls. They both laugh as they pull away from each other. "What is the baby hungry for tonight?" He rubs his hand over the small bump as Kate smiles back at him. He doesn't wait for her response, the look telling him everything he needs to know. "S'morelette?"

"Yes please. This kid is definitely going to take after his father."

He stands up out of the bed pulling on the boxers from the floor before smiling back at her. "I can't help it if the kid has good taste in food." He ducks the pillow that she launches towards his head. "Play nice Mrs. Castle."

She crawls down the bed to where he is standing wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulls him down into a chaste kiss before slapping his butt. "Get me some food and I'll show you how not nice I can play."


	16. Blocked

**A/N: I know it's been said 100 times before but life sucks sometimes and gets in the way of writing. Writer's block and an upcoming script deadline combined to suck all the inspiration out of me. That being said I'M BACK! **

**This little story came out and has several more behind it for not only this series but a new multi chapter story that I am currently plotting. Thank you for the follows, favorites, reads and reviews. I hope my absence hasn't driven you away from this series. **

**ENJOY **

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><p><em>It's 3:30 in the morning. Why am I still sitting here?<em> _Why did I get up in the first place? I'm too old for this crap. _Castle stares at the blinking curser taunting him from the blank page on the screen. If he didn't value the laptop on his knees he would throw it across the room.

It's been two weeks since he's written anything, two weeks of staring at the same screen with no results. It's not like his inspiration hasn't been there. She's sleeping in the next room right now. The problem is, she's sleeping in the next room right now. Sleeping with a brand new ring on her finger that matches the one resting comfortably on his left hand.

It's been two weeks since they got married. Most of that time was spent far from civilization on a tropical island. Sure he shouldn't have brought his laptop along on the honeymoon but it didn't seem to get in the way. Many nights it was forgotten when the silhouette of his new wife would grace the door in front of him. He had the ideas but the follow through was lacking.

Now the ideas are lacking. They've been home 48 hours. Enough time to get back to the real world, go back to the precinct, catch up with Alexis and his mother, settle back into life in New York as a married couple. He should be able to get back to writing. A couple hours ago when Nikki was calling to him in his sleep he left the warm, inviting body of his wife in their bed to answer her calls. Now he sits frustrated for multiple reasons.

If he could just get something on the screen, maybe even some of his worst work to date it will start the avalanche of words. He tries everything before slamming the lid shut pushing the device across his desk. Tonight is not the night. Maybe tomorrow if they don't catch a case he can come back and try again when the call of his wife isn't screaming so loud.

He pushes himself up from his chair, stretching the muscles cramped from being stuck in the chair for hours. In a couple strides he is out of his office and staring the still sleeping form of Kate in the bed.

She never looks better than when she is sleeping. No burdens from lost loved ones, no battles to be fought, no stress or worries to crease her face. The glow from the sun and beach of their honeymoon still lingers on her skin making her more angelic than ever. The moonlight that filters from the windows reflects ever so slightly on the silver band and diamond that rest on her hand next to her chin. The world finally gets to know what he's known for years, Kate Beckett-Castle is now his. His always. The one who he gets to go home to at night and wake up every morning with. His partner in everything.

He watches her sleep until the desire to be pressed against her is too much. He slips through the room silently onto his side of the bed. The slight dip of the mattress alerts her to his return and causes her to roll over and seek him out. Even in her sleep the powerful draw between them is too much to resist.

Gathering her against his body he places a soft kiss to the top of her head settling in next to her. "Castle?" It's barely a whisper or a word. "Shh. Go back to sleep."

Her eyes flitter open briefly taking in his face. "Nikki wake you up again? Should I be worried that another woman is taking you out of our bed so early in our marriage?"

He chuckles softly pulling her tighter to him. "No one could ever keep me away from you. And Nikki is being a brat lately. That or my extraordinary wife is distracting me from listening to her."

"How can I be a distraction if I'm asleep Castle?"

"Well Mrs. Castle. You are naked in our bed. That is enough to keep any other thoughts out of my head."

Kate smiles at his use of her new name and pulls his face down for a soft kiss. He quickly deepens the kiss rolling them over until he is hovering over her. When the need for oxygen becomes to great they separate, foreheads and bodies meeting. "Well Mr. Castle it seems you have found inspiration now. Maybe you should do something with it."

Castle growls as he pulls her bottom lip in between his own nipping lightly before soothing it with his tongue pulling a moan from Kate. "Nikki's got nothing on you Mrs. Castle."

Castle can't help but thank Nikki for driving him out of bed if this is what he gets to come back to. Who cares if they will need extra coffee in the morning? Who cares if his next chapter is late? They are here together after everything, married and living the life he dreamed for them. It may be new and there may be many challenges ahead but in this night where inspiration seemed so far away he feels the block slipping away with every touch and kiss from his muse.


	17. Chandelier

_1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 drink_

_1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 drink_

_1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 drink_

_Throw 'em back, till I lose count_

Another drink of whiskey burns it's way down her throat. Just as all the others she has swallowed down tonight. She lost count at the end of the bottle, when the pain and the alcohol blended the world into nothing but the bottle on the counter and the glass clutched in her hands. Another swallow and the pain dulls a little more.

She doesn't know how she ended up here, propped against the counter in the coolness of the loft. The day had been like every other since he had come back, since they had finally married. Things in her life were finally looking up. Her pain was in the past or so she thought. But the date had crept up on her and was a shock to her system when she awoke from a nightmare long since forgotten. Again she was painfully reminded that despite the justice being served her mother was dead. She wasn't here to see the good things she had going in her life and she never would.

Another swallow is followed by the hollow clack of the empty glass on the counter, a sharp noise in the silence of the night. She reaches for the bottle again, not sure what she is looking for in the bottom of it.

_But I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes_

_Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

_Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes_

_Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

_On for tonight_

She fills the glass to the top, catching the few droplets that spill over the side on her finger. She licks the moisture away much like she had whisked the tears that had flowed in the beginning. There are no tears now, just numbness left in their wake. A numbness she hasn't felt since the night she showed up at his door. The very door that is locked tight keeping the outside world away, the monsters that lurk in the city unable to find her here. Safe at home.

They're home; her husband is safe now, sleeping in their bed right now as she downs another large swallow. Unaware of her current state, her inability to keep it together without the liquid in the glass in front of her.

She wishes she had woken him up instead; let him distract her from the pain that surfaced in the night. But she let him sleep on, let him stay away from the darkness that was closing in on her. Retreated to the kitchen were she thought she would get a glass of water to clear her head and return to bed. She's not sure how much time has passed since then but she can faintly see the first traces of sunlight beginning to filter into the windows from the outside.

_Sun is up, I'm a mess_

_Gotta get out now, gotta run from this_

_Here comes the shame, here comes the shame_

The sun is her sign to stop. The pity party she has been throwing herself will not make her mother come back. Will not change the course of events that led her here. Her life is as close to perfect as she can get and here she stands two thirds a way through her second bottle for the morning and she feels it coming, the shame and regret.

Her father did this and she resented him for it. She lost him for years before he found his way out of the haze but he's sober now, for her. She has a parent when she needs it, a new family that has expanded beyond her dreams. She isn't alone anymore so why does she feel that way right now? She can't be here when he sees what she has done, the rabbit hole she fell through.

She turns quickly stumbling into one of the chairs at the counter, righting it before it can go crashing to the ground and wake him. She stagers to the door to grab her keys and shoes before remembering her phone that rests on the counter. They have a promise to never go without their phones, too many close calls and scares to not be able to reach the other. At the counter she decides to scribble a note just in case. He doesn't need to worry about her, tho the mess she is leaving behind will be enough to do that. It's nothing more than a simple "I'm sorry" before she is slowly making her way out the door.

The soft snick of the closing and her habit of locking it behind her serve as a start to sober her up. She somehow makes it to the elevator and out on to the street without any issues and the first blast of winter air to her face kills most of the effects of the alcohol. Coffee will help finish the job, a couple cups of black coffee and she will be on her way back to where she should be. The shame will melt away as the heat sluices down her throat.

The cab comes quickly when she flags it down and the driver says nothing of her pajama and heavy jacket combination. He drives her to the diner quickly in the minimal early morning traffic. Before she knows it she is tucked away in the booth she normally shares with her father on Sundays for brunch a cup warming her frozen fingers. The time blurs from there, figures huddled over the counter and tables in uniforms and winter clothes grabbing a few warm bites before braving the cold. The waitresses all know her and keep the coffee cup full and place the omelet in front of her without her saying a word.

It's here in the warmth of the familiar away from his scent and the comfort of home that she can see where she went wrong. She ran again, ran to the bottle and ran to the diner, just like she promised she wouldn't do anymore. He'll understand when she returns, willing to forgive and move on but it's more than she feels like she deserves.

_'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

_Oh, I'm just holding on for tonight_

_On for tonight_

_On for tonight_

She's half way through her food and practically sober when the message pings her phone. Before looking she knows it from him. Looking at it quickly she can't help the smile that spreads across her face. He keeps it simple, says all he needs to in so few words. **I love you. We'll be here when you're ready to come home.** She waves for the check as she returns the phone to her pocket. She's paid and on her way home before the city fully awakens and the trip back home is as short as the trip out.

When she walks in the door to the loft the first thing she notices is the smell, home. A little bit of her, a little bit of him and a new smell that has crept in over the last nine months. The second things she notices is him. He's curled up on the couch, back to the door but he knows she's there. She can tell by the way his shoulders relax and his breathe rushes out. She crosses the room quickly discarding shoes and jackets where they land in between the door and them. Her family is here waiting. The light at the end of the tunnel.

She looks over his shoulder at the still sleeping form of her daughter safely cradled in her husbands arms and she knows that she's not alone, she never has been. Because as she looks at the relaxed face of the little girl who has become her whole world she sees a piece of her mother that never left her. Her mother has been here the whole time. She was just a little lost in the shadows to see sometimes.

She's not just holding on for tonight. She's holding on to them for life. She has everything she could ever need and it's not at the bottom of the bottle that he put in the garbage while she was gone or the glass that is sitting upside down drying on the rack next to the sink. Everything she needs is in the two people who love her more than anything who are curled up together in front of her. Her hands find their way to them first running through two sets of soft hair apology in the touch. Neither of them need to speak to know. Apology and acceptance in their touches. He grabs her hand that leaves their daughter bringing it to his lips in a soft kiss.

She will have to explain later when the world has woken and the price of her mistakes will be addressed but in this simple moment she sees what she couldn't in the dark. Light.

_**A/N: I'm not really sure where this story came from. I was sitting listening to Sia "Chandelier" and the next thing I know this thing is flowing from my fingers. I hope you like it seeing as it isn't a typical for this set of one shots. Thanks for reading and if you feel compelled shot me a review.**_


	18. Home

This had to be the longest flight ever, ending the longest book tour of his writing career. Richard Castle was officially done with book tours. It's not that he didn't like interacting with his fans, giving back in the small way that he can for the success that they have given him, but he is tired of being gone for so long. Three months and one trip practically around the world was ok when he agreed to it back in April. How was he to know that his whole world would turn upside down one stormy night in May?

Since that night the only place he has wanted to be is with her. The loft, her apartment, Central Park, a hole in the wall coffee shop, the passenger seat of her cruiser, the old chair kept just for him next to her desk, he's never cared where. They could be in the worst part of town tracing down another dead end lead or sitting together on the couch with a glass of wine. The location has never mattered to him. All that has mattered is that they were together. He just wants to be back with her.

They weren't completely apart the whole time. As much as you can with an ever changing long distance between the one they made it work. Phone calls when either would wake or fall asleep, sometimes at complete opposite schedules. Texts to let the other know they were missed or things that they just couldn't wait to share, like the time that Ryan caught Lanie and Espo in the supply closet at the precinct. Skype and Face Time became lifelines when the absence was more than became bearable. When just an image on a small screen to go with the voice could get them through the next several days without the sight of the other.

It didn't help that they are still technically hiding their relationship. Sure Alexis and his mother know but how was he to expect their arrival the next morning. The boys and Lanie have to have some suspicions but none of them have been brave enough to come forward about them. He hasn't had to officially meet Jim as the boyfriend yet but they have plans for that this Sunday at brunch. So yes they are still hiding and that makes the time they spent apart even harder.

Arriving at 4am wasn't his best planning but when an earlier flight came open he jumped on it. He just wanted to be home. There wouldn't be a grand reuniting scene in the airport like they originally planned. Her smiling face won't greet him when he gets to baggage claim. They won't be sharing stolen kisses and touches in the back of the town car on the way to the loft. It won't be a scene out of one of those romantic comedies she forces him to watch on the nights she gets to pick.

No it's a solo walk to baggage claim through a deserted terminal with his fellow exhausted passengers. It's a cold wait outside for a taxi and cramming his tired body in an uncomfortable cracked leather seat. It's the struggle to stay awake on the trip back into the city. It's a quick stop into her favorite bakery that opens five when he happens to be pulling past. It's the hassle of handling all of his bags alone up to her floor. It's the knowledge that he is going through all of this on no sleep because he loves her.

He uses the key that she gave him a few short weeks before he left to get in, not willing to wake her before he has to. Kate Beckett is not a morning person unless it's a body. He learned this their second morning together and swears he still has the bruise to prove it all these months later. Tonight, or this morning, he will not wake her if necessary. He values his life and the time that they need to make up for takes priority.

He slips through the apartment silently as the sun begins to rise. Bags left in the living room, pastries left in the kitchen to go with the coffee later and he is slipping in socked feet into her room. Clothes are stripped without a whisper of a sound as he makes his way to the bed. The sight in it arrests him in his journey. Kate Beckett has never looked more beautiful. No stress, no fears, no worries line her face just a serenity that only comes with a hard sleep. He has to force himself to breathe again at the sight. God he missed her.

Before the sun can get any higher in the sky he slips under the covers next to her. She sighs when the bed dips and rolls over into him out of habit, her natural tendency to snuggle up to him. She started it when he would return to bed after a night spent with Nikki and Rook. Without waking she presses in close, head on his chest, and for the first time since he left her in the airport three months ago he is truly happy again. She'll wake to his surprise in a couple hours when the alarm sounds but until then he is content to just sleep with the woman he loves in his arms.

He has just closed his eyes when the familiar ring of her phone sounds. Only one thing comes from that ring tone, another body. He forgot she went on call last night. She grasps for the phone without realizing he is there. It isn't until she has answered and is processing the information dispatch is providing her before she notices him next to her. The hitch in her breath is his only sign before she collapses back into his arms. He doesn't see her smile on her way to him but he can feel it pressed against his neck as she completes her call giving herself way more time than necessary to get to the scene.

She pulls back when she disconnects the call throwing the phone across the bed as she takes him in. "What are you doing here?" It isn't her most elegant question and her shy smile that follows tells him it wasn't the first thing she meant say to him. "I got an earlier flight. I couldn't wait a couple more hours. I missed you." She's back in his arms before she responds. "I missed you too." She pulls back to press the softest, most passionate kiss he thinks he's ever received to his lips.

They spend most of the next several minutes trading kisses and hugs. It's not the passionate reunion he imagined but in a way it is so much better. "I can't believe I have a body right now. Why didn't you wake me up when you got in?"

"I literally just crawled in here. The murders of New York have terrible timing."

She laughs and presses herself back against him as he continues "We will continue this reunion properly when you get back but until then how about I make you a coffee while you shower?"

"Why don't you join me in the shower and we can reunite right now?" He doesn't even mind that she stole his eyebrow wiggle.

He doesn't have to be asked twice. Forget jetlag or the fact that he hasn't slept in at least 36 hours. He won't be sleeping anytime soon. He won't stay and sit this one out. He will make her their coffees and ride in his uncomfortable seat. He will help with crazy theories and pretend that they are nothing more than work partners. And at the end of the day he will ride in his uncomfortable seat back to her apartment. They will get ready for bed together, crawl in and finally he will get to hold her in his arms again as sleep takes him. But for now he will follow her to the bathroom. He will follow her anywhere.

They are stumbling over each other on the way to her shower. Clothes are discarded and hands wander as the water warms. As they step in together time slows. The weight of the time away starts to settle between them as the surprise wears off. When she looks up at him from under the spray of the warm water he struggles to discern between the water from above and the few stray tears that come from her eyes. He knows they are not tears of sadness but happy tears when she finally speaks summing up everything he has wanted to hear since he arrived. "Welcome home Castle. I love you."

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has come back to this series of stories or have found them recently. I started this collection of one shots over a year ago just for fun. I never thought that people would actually see them or keep coming back to read more. I write for myself because I have so many words rattling around my head sometimes that this is the only way I can get them out. To know that just one person out there has read them and may have been touched by them is a dream. Thank you for taking time to read this small collection of words and extra thank you to those who take the time to leave a few words in return. I never knew the power of a review until I received my own. **_


	19. Late Night Worries

_**A/N: I must be feeling a little sappy. Just a warning.**_

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><p><em>Ok dumb brain shut off. I'll let you run rampant with any scenario tomorrow morning if you will just let me get back to sleep right now.<em>

Kate Beckett has been repeating the same phrase in her head for the last two hours. Two hours of staring at the ceiling, rolling from side to side, covering and covering various body parts. Of course all of this has been done without so much as a flinch from the dead to the world writer lying next to her.

It's not that she blames him, much. He did only collapse into her bed three hours ago after inspiration struck after their case. It was a weird one, even for her.

But now her she is at some ungodly hour and she flat out can't sleep. The problem is she needs to talk about the thoughts that are chasing each other around her head. They need to be talked about and include Rick, because he's Rick now and not just Castle.

This thing they are doing is still so new. So new that there are things that need to be laid out in the open. Pasts that need to be squared away, feelings that haven't been dealt with. It may make her a girl but she just can't get over certain things that she feels he needs to know.

But really who says they both need to lose sleep over some stupid line of thought that hasn't left her since they left the precinct earlier. It's not his fault the case brought of something that happened with an ex and it sparked this whole mess.

"You're thinking awfully loudly over there Kate. What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

_How does he do that?_ "Nothing. Go back to sleep Rick." She's snuggling up to him as she speaks and rubs his chest to encourage him to return to the soft snuffles that sound suspiciously like snores, which he swears he doesn't do.

"Kate, clearly something is on your mind if you're up at, God is it really 4 am? You know I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep until you tell me so you might as well save us both some time and tell me."

"I love you Rick."

Clearly he wasn't expecting those words to come out her mouth. He has her pushed back into the mattress and his mouth fused to her before she can continue. When they both are out of oxygen they separate are enough to see each other in the darkness. He eyes radiate love that settles some of the demons that have been festering in her way too early thinking.

"I love you too Kate. So much."

"I know you do but I don't think you understand."

He pulls her up until they are both sitting cross-legged facing each other looking way to awake for how asleep he just was. He always does this. He knows what she needs and right now she needs to have a serious conversation, even if it is four in the morning.

"Ok Kate. Help me understand because I don't see how you loving me can be making you look so miserable right now. I'm a fairly loveable guy. Just ask my mother and daughter."  
>The joke breaks some of the tension but she is just as serious when she responds. "The problem is that I don't think I have ever loved anyone as much as I love you and that scares me. This case just reminded me of Soren… someone from my past and I couldn't help compare what we have after so little time to what I thought I felt before. I'm scared that this is all one sided and that you've been happier in the past. What if this is just a passing thing and you wake up tomorrow and think you could be happier with someone else. I don't know. I'm being ridiculous let's just forget this and go back to sleep."<p>

She flops down on her side, back to him before she ever finishes speaking. She can't stand to see his face when all of what has just spewed out of her mouth like word vomit hits him.

She's not expecting the arm that bands around her waist or the soft kiss that he places on her neck.  
>"First of all we are talking about this because clearly you are upset about something and that isn't something we will forget and go to sleep. Not now, not ever so get that through your head right now. Second when I say I love you so much I mean I love you so much more than I ever thought possible. Yes this new part of our relationship is still fairly new but I would argue that we have been in a relationship for years now.<p>

That being said I have to say that I don't really care about the guys in your past or what you felt for them. You clearly didn't love them as much as you love me or you wouldn't be here with me right now. So stop comparing those feelings. Those relationships and Kate this one isn't. I know this and I think somewhere deep down you do too."

She shakes her head as the tears trip down her face. This man and his words has always gotten to her, she should have known he would do it again her. She thinks he's done when he presses another kiss to her neck but he continues voice a little more strained.

"I know that my past has haunted us and rightfully so. Two failed marriages is not something that I'm proud of. I didn't go into either one of them expecting them to fail but I also didn't go into them feeling what I feel for you. If I could have a one and done Kate you would be it but as it stands you're going to have to settle for third times the charm.

This what we have is for keeps, forever. It might be too soon to say it and there are several important steps and a very important piece of jewelry missing but I'm all in this thing we have."

She fights past the lump in her throat to whisper, "I am too." She rolls in her arms pushing her face into his neck letting the tears roll from her face to his shoulder. His arms band tighter around her, hugging her to his chest. She feels his next words as much as she hears them.

"Kyra, Meredith, Gina, Will, Tom, Josh and the countless others that have come in either of our lives before this moment have all been stepping stones to get us here. We both learned and grew from our experiences and that's what makes this so much better. It's not a selfish love; it's not a naïve love but a love of two equals who are fighting to face the world together. It makes us stronger together and separately. I'm your partner Kate, at the precinct and in life. I love you. Always."

She can't take any more of his words. He is ripping apart her soul and putting it back together in so many better ways right now. She pulls her head out from his neck and presses her response into his lips. The kiss is deep and passionate. The rest of the world fades away from them. Seconds stretch into minutes into hours. All that remains is them and the love that they have fought and clawed to call theirs.

When the light of the rising sun beings to peak through the blinds she finally regains her ability to speak. When she does speak her voice is raw, "I love you Richard Castle. You are my one and done. We'll get to the rings, the dresses, the plans and the forever eventually but I want you to know that right now I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. Thank you for taking the journey to my heart."

"It was worth every painful step. I love you too Katherine Beckett."

They fall asleep as the sun rises high in the sky with matching smiles on their faces. Tomorrow will find them in the same bed sharing stories of their past and the journey they took separately and together to get them there. But as they sleep pressed together they both know that the next leg will be much easier with their partner at their side.

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><p><em><strong>AN 2: I am overwhelmed by the response that I have had to this series. 150+ followers and over 70 reviews after almost a year of attempting to put something together that befits these two amazing characters. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, follow, favorite or share this series. I am truly humbled and can't wait to share more with you in the future. It makes the time so worth it.**_


	20. Valentine's Day Take 2

_**A/N: This chapter follows the story through 7x14 and assumes the events of 7x15 concluded before the end of the week. I couldn't resist giving them a happy story for Valentine's Day after the events of this week's episode. Happy Valentine's Day.**_

_Friday February 13, 2015 - 11:45 pm_

Rick Castle was starting to get nervous. Sweaty palms, butterflies in the stomach and every other cliché teenager feelings that when they have a crush. The thing was, he had a crush on his wife, who was currently sacked out in the bed next to him. To say that the last couple of weeks had been stressful would be an understatement.

After the death of his old friend and her unwavering faith in him during the case he though things would settle down a little. His new work as a PI had been harder to transition into than he first thought. But then the ordeal with Dr. Niemen and Jerry Tyson happened. He was never happier to have this amazing woman by his side.

The effects of that event will plague them for a while but so far they both have found strength in the other but he knew that they were just buying their time.

He wasn't focusing on that right now. On this Friday the 13th he wasn't worried about curses, zombie apocalypses, killers or vampires, he was only worried about giving Kate Castle the best Valentine's Day possible.

As this was the first one since their whirlwind wedding, the pressure to make it nothing short of amazing was high. He had to live up to the two previous years that they spent this romantic day together. Nothing would top that first year, she gave him a drawer and a space in her life. Last year in between wedding planning their quite get away to the Hampton's had been much needed. But this year he was going to pull out all the stops.

And that started when the clock struck midnight. Kate Castle was in for 24 hours of romance and in order to get it started he needed to wiggle his way out of hold she had on him and start to work.

_Friday February 13, 2015 – 11:56 pm_

Castle capped the bottle of bubble bath and watched as the warm water filled the large tub. He had already lit the candles and the bottle of wine, the kind that made her…not the time to think of that, was waiting. All he had to do was wake his sleeping wife and get her in here for Phase 1 of his plan.

Walking as quietly as possible Castle went straight to Kate's side of the bed only to be stopped by the sight of her curled up around his pillow. She looked like an angel there amongst the pillows and blankets, his angel. As carefully as possible he slipped in behind her curling himself around her back.

Kate awoke slowly to the sensation of small kisses being spread up her neck and jaw. The smile that stretched across was the first hint that she was awake followed by the slow turn in her husband's arms. "What time is 't?"

"12:01 exactly. Happy Valentine's Day Mrs. Castle."

Just as he expected Kate rolled her eyes at his cheesiness but the smile she fought gave her away. "Rick, you woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me Happy Valentine's Day. In what universe is that a good idea?"

"The one where I have a surprise for you that I think you're going to like and it can't wait any longer. Come on Kate. Please?"

He pulled out his best puppy dog pout, the one he knew that she couldn't resist, and wasn't surprised when her lips met his in an effort to pull it from his face. When she deepened the kiss flipping him to his back he knew he had her. Pulling away from her slightly he said, "As much as I wish this was the surprise we're going to have to move this party."

He sat up grasping her thighs standing easily from the bed. "Rick, put me down before you break your other knee."

"What are you saying? I'm too old to carry you or your too fat to carry."

The glare he got caused him to miss a step and almost launch them both into the floor between the bedroom and bathroom. Luckily he was able to recover from both quickly. "For the sake of this holiday please ignore my previous statement and focus on the romantic gesture I'm making here."

She didn't argue the rest of the way to the bathroom and when she caught sight of the scene he had set for her, she had to kiss this lovable oaf of a man. They eventually made it to the tub where they took turns stripping off the few layers of clothing they had on and made it into the tub.

With her back pressed to his chest, hands laced with hers on her stomach Rick had never felt more content. "I love you Kate."

"I love you too Rick. Thank you for the surprise. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Oh Kate, this is only the first part. Prepare yourself for a day full of surprises."

_Saturday February 14, 2015 4:30 am_

He felt like a spy. Or maybe a ninja. Either way he was a sneaking his way across the loft and out the door without so much as a peep from their bedroom. It could be that Kate was completely worn out after the two rounds in the bathtub and the two more that followed when they got back in to bed afterwards. He was going to have to invest in a case or two of that wine.

Now he was wired after downing a couple cups of insomniac strength coffee and off to start Phase 2 of his plans.

Bracing himself against the cold when he walked out of the lobby he greeted the driver he had hired for the day. No since fighting for cabs all day. They had places to be and people to see.

Making their way through town in the light early morning traffic, he arrived at the SOHO bakery earlier than he planned. Waiting until it opened at 5 he caught up on his highly addicting Trivia Crack games, of course Alexis was beating him yet again. Once the shop was open he was back on the mission.

Coming back out to the care a couple minutes later loaded down with bags Castle was ready to get back home and complete the next part. The traffic was just as light on the trip back and he spent the time planning out everything he had to put together when he got back to the loft. Phase 2 was going to be epic when he got done.

_Saturday February 14, 2015 7:00 am_

When Kate woke again she was alone and from the feel of the sheets next to her she had been for a while. The first thing she registered after she felt the sheets next to her was the smell of coffee wafting through the room. The second was the soft sounds of Coltrane coming from the living room. The third was the single rose that sat on the pillow where Castle's head usually rested.

Sitting up with the rose in her hand Kate couldn't help smiling. Her husband was a romantic, if their midnight bubble bath hadn't been proof enough. She got out of the bed and shrugged on her robe keeping the rose firmly in her hand. As she walked away from the chair in the corner she spotted another rose lying on the floor between the bed and the door to Castle's office. She walked over and picked that one up only to spot another one in the doorway.

She followed the trail of roses, twelve in all, into the main area where she spotted what could only be described as a feast waiting on the table for her. Next to the table was her adorable husband, decked out in a red apron covered in small hearts. She crossed the room clutching her roses and met him with a gentle kiss at counter. "Good morning babe. What is all of this?"

"Good morning. I know you're mom used to make brunch on Sunday's and for birthdays but I thought we could start a new tradition and have it for breakfast today."

Laying the flowers on the counter to be dealt with later Kate wrapped her arms around Castle's neck and pulled him down for a searing kiss. After several minutes, she ran out of oxygen and reluctantly pulled away smiling around the single tear that rolled down her cheek. "It's perfect. I love you."

"I love you too. Why don't we eat before all of this gets cold? But I'm taking a rain check on that where that kiss was going."

She laughed as she took him by the hand and led him over to the table. It was covered in every kind of food imaginable. Coffee, juices, pastries, pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon and everything that could be qualified as breakfast food. Luckily his s'morelette was missing, that thing was just vile. Sitting at the table and starting to fill up her plate she noticed something that clearly didn't come from their kitchen.

"Castle, are those cronuts? And bear claws? Where did you get those?"

"A magician never reveals their secrets my dear. And yes they are."

Knowing that this must have taken hours to pull off, Kate couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. She knew Castle was a romantic but they were only a couple hours into the day and he had already pulled out all the stops. What else could he have up his sleeve?

_Saturday February 14, 2015 3:00 pm_

After an amazing breakfast followed by several hours in bed working off all of the food they ate Castle led a reluctant Kate out of their bed. He promised that the plans they had for later would be worth leaving the bed over. Knowing what her husband was capable of Kate had to wonder how extravagant he was going.

With so little time to even think about Valentine's Day this year with everything that had been going on Kate felt a little unprepared, she hadn't even had the time to find him a gift. As much as she loved the romantic gestures so far she wasn't sure if she was up for much more than a quiet evening at home with her husband. So when he told her to relax and take a bath she didn't argue. Not until he told her to put on the red dress he had hung in the closet she got a little worried.

She didn't want to have to squash his plans but she also didn't want to ruin the evening when her well-crafted hold on her emotions fell under the stress. Deciding that she would trust her husband, she did as he asked not knowing where this night would lead.

_Saturday February 14, 2015 4:45 pm_

Kate emerged from the bedroom and the sight of her arrested Castle. He was just lighting the last candle on the table when he turned at the sound of her heels on the floor before stopping all movement. She was gorgeous. Hair curled around her shoulders, smoky makeup that she knew he loved and the dress that he knew would hug her in all the right places, she looked better than he had dreamed of.

The feature that was the most heart stopping was the smile that lit up the room. As soon as she took in the candle lit room and him in a suit she knew why she loved this man. The man that could have got them reservations at any restaurant in town had chosen to stay in. He somehow knew what she needed. Just like he always did. His voice broke her from her staring.

"You're gorgeous."

"You're not so bad yourself stud. How did you know?"

He approached her where she stayed rooted in the door to the office lightly kissing her before taking her hand. "How did I know what?"

"Nothing. This is just perfect babe."

He walked her to the table, holding out her chair before pouring her wine. He felt her hand tug on his and willing bent down for her kiss. The kiss said more than her words ever could and Castle came away a little concerned. Sitting in his own seat he knew better than to let it go. They had finally gotten to a good place of communication and today wasn't going to be any different.

"Kate, what's going through that pretty head of yours? Is it too much because we can scrap all of this and just order Chinese?"

He barely had time to react before he had Kate in his lap and her lips scorching his. She pulled away as fast as she had latched on and the love in her eyes was almost suffocating.

"It's perfect I promise. You have no idea how perfect. It's just been such a hard year so far with everything we've gone through and after Tyson and Niemen I completely forgot about Valentine's Day. I didn't even have time to get you anything."

She cut off his protests with a hand the mouth that he quickly kissed and placed in his.

"I know that presents aren't important but I just wasn't prepared for all of this and after all that you had already done for me today I was a little worried that you would have some grand public gesture tonight and as much as I probably would have loved it I'm not ready yet. I'm sorry Castle."

"Wait why are you apologizing? You have done nothing wrong. We've both been through so much lately and the last thing I want to do today is overwhelm you. I just didn't want you to not have a good day. All I wanted was some alone time with my wife and the chance to spoil her a little. No presents, no grand gestures, just the two of us together on a day full of love."

She kissed him again because this man who she loved and loved her so much in return was too much sometimes. He managed a perfect holiday despite everything they had faced.

"I love you Richard Castle. Thank you for a perfect Valentine's Day. But how are you going to top this next year?"

"I love you too Katherine Castle but I can think of one thing that could make next year better."

"Oh and what is that?"

The look on his face gave him away before he ever spoke and Kate knew that his answer would lead them away from the table and back to the bed they had barely left.

"A baby. A baby with you would make next year perfect. It would make everyday perfect."

They never touched the food Castle had prepared but ordered a pizza around midnight when their stomachs interrupted their conversation about boys with his spirit and girls with her eyes.

_**A/N 2: This chapter deviates from the normal for these stories but these two just kept going so it got expanded. I can't help that they love each other so much. Longest chapter in this series and I hope you liked it. Again, Happy Valentine's Day.**_


	21. Beckett's Late Night Addiction

_**A/N: Borrowing text from Raging Heat. Obviously I have no claim to these wonderful words. I'm simply borrowing them to further the plot to this little story. No infringement intended.**_

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><p>"<em>She had set her iPhone on her desktop and she caught the thing side-creeping across her blotter from the vibration when she came back from the restroom. Once again, not Rook. Detective Feller was calling in from Flatbush."<em>

She had picked up the book mere hours ago and already she couldn't put it down. 80 something pages and yet again his words had sucked her in. Not that it was a real surprise anymore. The fifth Nikki Heat novel had her hooked just as well as the first one had, hell as much as _In Hail of Bullets_ had all those years ago when she never thought justice was possible.

The difference now was in her. The last several months had been hard and she had just brought herself to read his words again. She couldn't look at any of the drafts the publisher insisted on sending over during those long months. She wouldn't read his words until he was there with her.

So now she's perched against the headboard in their bedroom with him in his office probably avoiding typing out more words for her to consume and playing another ridiculous zombie apocalypse game. The sounds of him so close keep her grounded to the fact that he is here, back home where he belongs. With so many questions and so few answers about the time he was away, escaping into the world he created for her, about her, was exactly what she needed tonight. She just didn't plan on getting hooked this fast.

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><p>"<em>When she unlocked the door to her apartment, she almost called "Lucy, I'm home" to set a lighter tone with Rook, but something gave her pause. Heat knew the feel of her own place-the sounds, the scents, the atmosphere-through many years and countless moments. She'd known it as a party space and a work space; a love scene and a crime scene; and all shades in-between. What was off?"<em>

It's official her butt is numb. She hasn't moved from her position in hours and she's starting to feel it. Finishing her current page she marks her spot with her finger as she stretches from her curled up position. At some point she had raised her knees towards her chest and they extended stiffly underneath the sheets. Wait, sheets? When had she pulled them up over her legs? When had the room gotten darker?

She vaguely remembers Rick coming in at some point and telling her he was going to crash. A phantom kiss on the cheek and a mumbled I love you too are somewhere in there as well. Now she sits in the faded light of the lamp on her side of the bed confused. Her partner's deep breathes echo through the quiet room, their rhythm filling the space where his key clicks had filled hours earlier. What time is it anyway?

Making sure her page is marked she stretches around to look at the clock on his bedside table. The glowing numbers tell her she is far past when she should have been asleep. Hours past. She is closer to her alarm than she is to the time she normally is asleep. This is not good. She hasn't done this in years.

Maybe it's the book, or maybe it is the months that were spent questioning if she would ever read them again, but she can't stop. Rolling back to her side of the bed and still propped up against her pillow, she has a decision to make. Try to finish the next 130 something pages now and forgo sleep all together? Or does she do the responsible adult thing and sleep now and leave the book until tomorrow night?

Looking from the picture of Castle that smirks up from the back of the book resting on the bed next to her and the sleeping figure of Rick that is next to her she knows what he must do.

Opening the book she picks up where she left off.

* * *

><p>"'<em>Well Captain Heat…'<em>

_A sound came out of her, whether a laugh or a cry, it was born of joy, and that's all that mattered. '…Yes, Mr. Rook?'_

'_I have loved you from the first day we met. And, as unbelievable as it would have seemed to me then, I love you more now-this day, at this moment-than I ever have.'_

_Nikki wanted to say I love you to him, and almost did, but didn't dare interrupt. So she told him with her face._

_And he got it._

'_Nikki, I believe in destiny. Not only has everything I've ever done led me to you, every time we are apart-whether I'm in Paris or a jungle or across town in Tribeca-I measure everything, every minute, every breath, by how soon we can be together again. Which, in a way, means we are never really apart. But here. Now. Together like this. This is what I want forever. To spend the rest of my life with you. And you with me. Rockin' happiness.'_

_After working some swagger, he paused before he continued. 'I want to be your husband. And I want you to be my wife.' He started to choke up and some water rimmed his eyes. Rook collected himself, held out the ring, and smiled at her-an angel's smile. 'Nikki Heat, will you marry me?'"_

She quickly shut the book, the acknowledgements didn't matter, they weren't his words anyway. The tears that had formed in her started to flow down her cheeks. This man and his words, he stilled had the power to rip her heart apart and put it back together again. But that ending!

What the hell was that?

Does Nikki say yes? What does that mean for her and Rook? What is going to happen next? How can he leave it on a cliffhanger like that? Doesn't he know that the fans need to know what happens next? Who does he think he is?

Unlike times in the past Kate has the opportunity to ask these questions that are rocketing through her brain. Forgetting about the hour of the morning she slams the annoyingly cliffhangered book on the stupid writers who think they can get away with that chest. He grunts underneath the book but doesn't wake.

This is going to require drastic measures. This is important stuff and her partner should be awake for this.

Grabbing the book from him she throws it across the floor, unaware of where it lands. Moving to straddle his hips she doesn't waste a second to push her mouth to his sleeping one. It takes a couple seconds for him to respond to the kiss and she knows the minute he wakes. His arms band around her back and his less than graceful move to deepen the kiss would normally draw her in for more fun but she is a woman on a mission. Pulling away with a pop she sits up on his lap staring down as the sleepy eyes of the man she loves. She dislikes him a little right now but she will always love him.

"Not that I mind the wake up but why are you waking me up at 4:30 in the morning? You're not on call so it can't be a body."

How he manages to be so coherent right after waking she will never understand but she rolls with it. "I finished your book."

This has him sitting up into her. He has always valued her opinion on his books. She'll never forget how anxious he got for to read the first one. It's still that way now. That's why she doesn't read ahead, wants no chapters before the publisher's draft is complete. She will only read what he is willing to share with his fans. After all she is his biggest fan.

"What did you think?" He's searching her eyes and at the same time looking around the bed. When he spots something he's looking for across the room his look turns from curious to concern. "Was it that bad?"

"Why would you think I thought it was bad?"

"Why else would it be in a upturned mess on the floor over there?"

Turning to look where he pointed, she spots it spread wide open to cover up on the floor near the door. She is off his lap and across the room in a flash, closing and placing the book on her side table with the reverence it deserves. Who cares if she can get a new copy in a flash? It's special, they all are.

"Sorry, I got distracted trying to wake you up. Didn't know where it landed."

"So you liked it. Is that why this conversation couldn't wait until at least until the sun was up?"

"I loved it Rick, honestly."

"Then why the rush to wake me. Couldn't wait to shower me in praise?"

Lying back with a smug smile on his face, he looked exactly like the smirking figure that sat face down on the table next to them. She wanted to kiss that smile off his face but settled for another method. "As good as it may have been I have a bone to pick with you buster."

"Oh no, not the Detective voice. I'm not awake enough for an interrogation about my interrogations."

"Well wake up Writer-boy. We have something's to discuss."

"It's Writer-man Kate. And what is so wrong with my book?"

"How could you end it right there?"

"Right where. Nikki and Rook are happy how is that a bad ending?"

"Yes but we don't know her answer. Does she say yes? Where do they go from there? What is going to happen with her as Captain? What…" She leans closer to him with every question until he shuts her up the best way he knows how, with his lips covering hers.

The kiss is long and deep and everything she has always wanted from him. So much like that first one they shared in the alley should have been. They may be slowly finding their solid ground but in moments like this she knows they will be there sooner than later.

Pulling away from each other when they were both gasping for air he slowly finds his words. "Kate, I think you of all people know the answers to all of those questions racing through your head."

"What do you mean? I'm not the writer."

"No but you are the muse and the fact that we are here together now should tell you everything you need to know. We are fighting for our happily ever after so what do you think Nikki and Rook will do?"

He always has said she is Nikki Heat, a fact she likes to argue against as the books stray so far from their lives together, but maybe this one time they have something in common. She's working on getting her happy ending, getting her one and done. Nikki is well on her way to the same thing. Looking into the eyes of her own Jameson Rook, the man who fought for her for years she has her answers.

"One more question for you Castle."

"Shoot Beckett."

The matching smiles on each of their faces break the tension that had filled the room moments prior. This is what they are good at, being together in this space. This is their solid ground. This is their forever. These quiet moments spent wrapped up together when it's them against the world. They will find their way back to this place every time.

"Did you love me from the moment we met?"

"Kate, I have loved you my whole life. I just didn't know it was you until that moment. Every moment brought me to you. I love you."

"I love you too."

She said yes when he asked her and she will make it down that aisle to him. They will get their happily ever after and she knows her alter ego will get the same. There are no more questions just a lifetime with the love of her life and the stories he writes for her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN 2: Again I am humbled by the responses I have gotten to this series. The amount of followers, favorites, reviews, and views has been more than I ever thought I would get. I can't thank you all enough. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Review if you feel inclined, share with your friends if you feel it worthy. Thank you.**_


	22. Castle's Late Night Addiciton

Halo night at Casa de Castle had to be her least favorite night of the month. Not only was it the extremely loud war sounds, the food strung out on every surface and the boys annoyingly yelling louder and louder at each other. But to top it all she didn't get to see her husband until the battles were waged and honor was restored. Some nights that lasted well past any respectable hour, though they had been trying harder since the pregnancy. Hormones and a sleep deprived Detective Beckett were not a fun combination for anyone.

That is why on this particular Halo night Kate had decided that a much needed girl night in with Lanie and Jenny was necessary. If the boys could have their fun, so could they. So she had retreated to Lanie's apartment in hopes to avoid Halo night until it was safe to come home. The problem was that at six and a half months pregnant she was tired earlier than normal and at 10 pm, girl's night was over. It wouldn't have happened if Kate hadn't dozed off trying to finish Lanie's pedicure and proceeded to paint her a stripe of bright purple across her foot.

Arriving less than an hour later at the loft, she was greeted with the sounds of chaos as soon as she stepped off the elevator. There might be a real war waged in there tonight if they didn't let her get some sleep.

Opening the door to the apartment, Kate shed her coat and shoes, not bothering to put them away. She would let Rick do that later when he saw the boys out, he would owe her by that point anyway. Crossing into the office, or field of battle as they liked to call it, she was not surprised to see all three of her boys crowded in front of the screen. As usual they were completely oblivious to her arrival. She wasn't up for a verbal sparing match with Espo or Ryan tonight, so she went for the quiet approach.

Walking behind Rick, who was sitting this round out apparently, she bent over as best as her swollen stomach would allow and placed a kiss to his head. Snapping around at the touch of her lips, his smile turned from playful to soft at the sight of her behind him. "Hey Babe. When did you get home?" His words were for her, though his eyes and hands were fully focused on her stomach and their little bundle tucked away inside. Lifting his chin she pulled him up for a chaste kiss before answering.

"I just got back. Tried to paint Lanie's whole foot so she sent me home to bed."

"Probably a good idea. We'll finish up here so we can all go to bed."

The boys were so engrossed that they still didn't notice Kate. She knew that stopping now would lead to annoyed partners and extra paperwork. Not something she wanted to face. "No Rick it's fine. Just turn it down a little and maybe keep the yelling to a minimum and it'll be fine. Keep the world safe for a while until I can again."

His smile was so full of love she couldn't help but steal another kiss. When they separated he said, "I love you. We'll keep it down so you and baby can get some rest. We won't be much longer anyway. I'm winning so they'll admit defeat soon."

Espo's disgusted reply came without his eyes ever leaving the screen. "We'll see about that Writer boy. I've got Ryan here right where I want him."

Laughing as Javi managed an impressive kill at that moment, Kate turned her attention back to her husband. "Go kick some ass babe. We'll be waiting for you. Love you."

"Love you too."

This time he pulled her down for a kiss. It was deep and long and they didn't separate until twin-gagging sounds filtered in. Pulling away after placing one more quick kiss to her husband's lips Kate delivered two quick smacks to the both boys heads as she left the room.

By the time she was getting into the large empty bed the sounds from the office next door were a muted version of the sounds she had arrived home to before. She couldn't help but smile at the antics of the over grown children in the next room. Why were they having a kid when he still acted like one?

* * *

><p>The sounds of bombs exploding jolts Kate awake hours later. Lost in the haze of sleep, she is unaware of where she was or what was going on around her for several seconds. That was until the sound exploded through the bookshelves again. Halo night. Rolling as best she can, she checks the time on the bedside clock, groaning when she notes the late nightearly morning hour. They can't seriously still be playing that dumb game. Rick promised her they wouldn't be much longer. If the kid would get out of her ribs she would love to cuddle up to her husband for a couple hours.

Sitting up and clearing the sleep from her brain Kate decides that it's time to take matters into her own hands. Halo night has been a thorn in her side since the beginning. When hiding their relationship meant sneaking in after the boys left and having to erase all traces of herself before they arrived.

Pulling herself out of the bed she slowly walks into the office. She would never call it waddling but the larger her stomach gets the closer to it she gets. Pregnancy does not mix with missing sleep and if they utter one single word close to the waddling subject they will all be dead. Even the man who put her in this position, as much as she may love him.

She gets into the office in time to see Ryan try to knock the controller out of Castle's hands in an attempt to sabotage something much Espo's delight. Kate makes her way silently over the slightly louder sounds coming from the TV. Standing directly in front of the screen with her hands on her hips all action in the room comes to a sudden stop.

All three heads snap to her face each wearing a different expression. Espo's smile tells of his delight of the forthcoming tongue-lashing he thinks is coming. Ryan's indignation to being interrupted in the heat of battle changes to a look of fear when he sees the glare on Kate's face. Castle's face is the one she has the hardest time looking at. Her glare threatens to fall with the look of shock and fear that instantly filters through his eyes. It's a good thing she has an amazing poker face.

"What the ever loving hell is going on here? It's 4:30 in the morning and instead of sleeping, like I should be doing, I am being rudely pulled from my sleep by this stupid game. Seriously are you guys 10 year olds."

Castle is the only one brave enough to speak, also the unspoken sacrificial lamb of the group. "Kate, we lost track of time. I'm so sorry." He rises from his seat, approaching her cautiously with his hands raised in a sign of surrender. "We're done now. Right guys?" He turns to his ever-helpful comrades who nod their heads in agreement quickly. Before any of them can make a move to quit the game Kate springs into action. "No, you're not done."

All three of them look from her to each other in confusion. They just knew that waking Kate would be an instant death sentence. They didn't mean to get sucked back into the game or to turn the volume up that high but the battle required more than they thought it would. It didn't help that they were deadlocked in number of kills and wins for the evening. That fact would just not do. There had to be a clear winner.

"Babe. It's ok. We'll pack all this up and call it a night. You should, I mean we all should, be asleep right now."

"Castle, it's not over. You woke me up from a very peaceful sleep and now you all are going to pay for it."

The boys cower instantly and Rick instinctively takes a step back putting another foot in between them. "What do you mean pay for it?"

Without speaking Kate walks around the still stunned figure of her husband and grabs his abandoned remote before slowly lowering herself into his seat. This would be much more intimidating if she had a little more grace in sitting. As it is, Rick moves to help lower her down, something she has to smile at him for. The smile cracks some of the tension leaking from his body but not enough to kill the mood in the room.

"Now then. It seems to me that the only way this game will be over is if there is a clear winner. What do you say we make this interesting? I'm playing now. If my kill count can top each of yours the next five Halo nights are cancelled. If you guys can manage to beat me then you can add a second Halo night to each of the next five months."

The boys look at each other before silently calling a group conference on their side of the room. Kate can't help but laugh at them. They really are little boys sometimes. Scared to take on a girl.

They must reach a group consensus after what looked to be a heated debate because they break their little huddle. Yet again it's Rick who is the one to speak. "We accept. Pick your first opponent."

* * *

><p>The sun has risen high into the horizon before the battles have ended. The boys both made silent exits out of the loft and into the daytime. The smell of defeat is thick in the loft.<p>

They were long and hard fought challenges but in the end only one person came out the victor, Kate. She had annihilated each of her opponents easily despite her lack of playtime compared to them.

First up had been Espo. His cocky attitude and lack of faith in his opponent's ability had been his downfall. She knew the boys were counting on him to be an easy win, he was the only one with actual military experience but Kate had mowed him down without breaking a sweat.

After a drink and bathroom break for Kate, she is pregnant after all, came Ryan's turn. Total massacre would be putting it nicely. He never stood a chance, even with Espo's commands and instructions being screamed across the small room despite the small distance between them.

Final victim for the night/morning had been Rick. After the easy victories before Kate revised the bet and allowed this final one to be the deciding one. If Rick could beat Kate they would be the over all winners and get extra Halo time. The most even fight of them all had ended in a sudden loss on Rick's side when he appeared to have messed up and allowed Kate a couple extra kills that could have been avoided.

Crawling into bed after closing the light dampening curtains, the couple met in the middle of the bed. Rick wrapped himself around his wife like he had wanted to when she first came home now hours earlier. Softly stroking his hand up and down her back, he broke the silence of the room. "I'm sorry we woke you up. I really didn't mean to play that long. I know how much you need to sleep right now."

Looking up into her husband's guilty eyes Kate couldn't hold on to her anger even if she had any. "Rick, babe, it's fine I promise. Baby was pressing on my ribs anyway. I would have been awake either way. You're fine. I know you don't get to spend as much time with the boys as you used to."

"But still."

"No buts. It's over. Let's just get some sleep. Good thing we're off today."

"Yea, I don't really feel bad for the boys. They brought this on themselves. They knew they were on call today."

"I'm just glad I have reduced hours now that I'm on desk duty. Working would be torture. I can't tell you the last time I was up when the sun rose when it wasn't case related."

They laid there silent for a while, drifting in and out of light sleep before Kate jerked awake. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. But thank you."

Castle lifted his head to look down at her confused. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For throwing the game." At his look of protest, Kate clapped her hand over his mouth. "Rick we've played that game more times than I'm willing to admit to. I know you better than that. You threw the game so I would win the bet."

"Yea well I knew you wanted the next several months to be peaceful and Halo free when the amount of game free months matched until after the baby was born. How could I not help out my wife and give her what she was unwilling to ask for?"

"It's not that I mind Halo night."

"I know you don't. You're perfect that way but you also are pregnant and it's easier if you don't have to worry about it for a while. I get it but honestly Kate all you had to do was ask. I would have understood. So would have the boys."

Looking a little guilty for the way she had acted Kate tried to turn her head away from Rick and bury it into his chest. He put a finger under her chin and raised it back to him. Kissing her softly he reassured her, "Kate, it's fine. We're fine. I love you and I love that you can kick ass at Halo. We'll just put it off until you can beat the boys without having to take pee breaks every 15 minutes."

Kissing Rick again Kate settled back into his chest. As much as she hated Halo night she was going to miss it. Sure the sound effects were grating and the mess they made took hours to clean up but it was nice to see all of her boys getting along. As she drifted off to sleep she could only hope that the little boy growing inside of her would one day get to play Halo with her boys. She'd have to teach him all her tricks; no kid of hers would lose to the likes of them. Not on her watch.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This is a slight follow up to the last chapter. We all have those things that keep us up well past when we know we should go to bed. I personally don't play Halo so if the few facts about the game I used are wrong I apologize. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading.**_


	23. Christmas Magic

The snow is falling peacefully outside the loft windows but inside its occupants are completely unaware. They sleep through the quiet storm peacefully with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. All of the occupants except one.

He's too excited to sleep anymore. Christmas is his favorite holiday. The tree, the lights, the snow, no school and who doesn't love presents. What isn't there to be excited about? What better season to spend with family and friends?

That's why he is sneaking around at 4 am, his sock clad feet slipping silently across the floors he's had years to memorize. The tree standing century in the middle of the living room providing only little resistance on his path to victory.

Using moves he perfected in many games of laser tag versus his various family members he dives behind the open bookcase without creating a shadow. No need to spook the natives sleeping inside to his plan before he is ready for action.

He slips into the office undetected only stopping behind the large desk for a second to grab another supply. Why they leave them littered around so carelessly he has never understood?

Back in the living room he continues on his early morning mission of Christmas perfection by setting up yet another surprise. They'll love it when they see it, he knows it.

Up the stairs, avoiding the last one before the landing that has always squeaked he sneaks down the hall past the room that has always been Alexis' and now emanates soft snores if you stand close enough. Not that he would ever tell her that, he would like to make it past Christmas morning.

On to the last room at the end of the hall that has changed over the years. Offices, guest rooms, bedrooms, playrooms, small escape areas in an over crowded loft, it has been a little of everything over the years. Now it holds the next piece of the puzzle. He has it in his hand and is back out of the room in a breath, sometimes it's just too easy.

A creak downstairs echoes up to where he stands temporarily frozen at the top of the stairs. No one should be awake. He checked on all of them before he started all of this. The late night before keeping them deep in a REM cycle that should hold until he's done.

When no other sound reaches him he decides it's safe enough to proceed carefully back into the main room. No since delaying any longer. He has plans for them and he might be more excited about all of it than they will be.

He gets downstairs only to be stopped by the sight greeting him outside the large windows. The world they have been isolated from since early yesterday afternoon has turned from grey to white. The snow falling in a storybook fashion that only sparks words and poems in his head. In the silence of his home with his family nearby he is arrested by the stillness of the world at this moment. This one perfect moment in a lifetime of perfect and imperfect moments for him to capture in his minds eye and hopefully one day find the words to share with those around him.

If only he can be as lucky as to find those words.

His world is right in so many ways that it becomes unbelievable sometimes. If he was a reader of his story he would even think that the author exaggerated or ignored the real world to make it perfect. With their history it just doesn't seem possible. But here on this holy morning it truly is.

He has the family he has dreamed of and it only grows stronger everyday. Everyday that they fight and push to make their dream a reality, all of them, they make life for him just a little more perfect.

He knows he's getting old when he spends so much time ruminating at the window instead of getting lost in the magic of Christmas. The magic of Santa Claus with flying reindeer, the season where anything can happen, the morning that he looks forward to 364 days of the year.

Putting the final touches to what he needs around the tree he starts the next part of his plan. Magic.

The tree comes to life in lights and colors. The room glows with the softness of twinkling lights that mimic the stars. Next the candles provide the soft glow and smell that he has come to know as his home at this time of year. Cinnamon, pine and winter air mixed to perfection to sooth you in their cocoon. The fireplace provides warmth and more subtle light to the scene. The train runs around the tree to provide a small soundtrack to break up the still air. All of these small pieces combine to bring a little bit of magic in the room.

His next stop is back upstairs. It's the first stop he has made for years. More than he is willing to count but one that will always be welcomed with a smile and a kiss. No matter what age, as long as he can he will always go to her first.

His mother sleeps in her typical fashion, loud clothes surrounding a rarely silent figure. It's just like it was all those years ago, creep silently into the room, soft hand to the shoulder, a kiss to the cheek, all leading up to a quiet, almost shy, "Merry Christmas Mother."

And just like every year for as long as he can remember he is greeted by a beautiful smile and a hand to the back that pulls him to her with silent strength. The hug is soft but all encompassing, speaks of years of gain, years of loss, more pain and joy than anyone in his life has experienced with him. But every year on this morning none of it has ever mattered. It was the two of them against the world and still to this day all these many years later it remains for this brief period of time.

"Merry Christmas Richard. Go wake up the rest of the family. Give me a minute to make myself beautiful."

"You don't need time for that mother. You know that. But I'll meet you downstairs."

He's out of the room before she can respond and just like every other year his next step is just down the hall. His second favorite girl is next.

Alexis's snores have died away signally that she is already on her way to joining him. She always did have a sense about this morning, never did beat him at this game. He was always there to wake her and he wouldn't trade any of those mornings for the world. From the first one when she had no idea what was going on to this one they have all been special because of his little girl and the memoires he's been able to make with her.

She wakes after a light kiss to the forehead, blinking sleepily up at him with the same blue eyes that have always captured his soul. The smile grows as she shakes off sleep until she says, "Merry Christmas Daddy." She could be that gangly 10 year old again the way she sounds and not the 24 year old woman who lies in front of him. He scoops her from the bed twirling her around in a crushing hug before he speaks. "Merry Christmas Pumpkin." They stay connected for a while, just absorbing the comfort of being close.

With life and growing up time spent together has become limited. No longer living under the same roof and moving towards different yet concurrent paths have taken a toll on the father daughter relationship of years past but as with the holidays all of that slips away. No time has been lost, no strain placed on them on this morning. He has his little girl in his arms again and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Eventually she pulls away, smirking up at him with a look she has adapted over the last couple years, "Stop stalling Dad. You know it will easier if you just bite the bullet and do it."

"But what if she punches me again. I can't have a black eye on Christmas."

"You know the drill by now. I think you can handle it."

She is out of the room shaking her head at him so fast that he has to hurry to catch up with her. He grabs her as she reaches the last stair hoisting her into the air like he did when she was 5. His back might not like it later but the laugh he gets in return is worth it.

"Seriously Richard. You'll wake the dead running around like that."

"That's the idea mother."

"Oh Dad come on. Let's get Christmas started already."

He hangs his head before going into the kitchen. This last and newest tradition is going to take a couple extra supplies and a little more encouragement.

Slipping silently into his bedroom he is once again stopped in the beauty that surrounds him. It's not in the world around him now, but lies in his bed. The bed he vacated an hour earlier, not that he ever wants to leave it now. Not when she's there looking like an angel sent down just for him.

He can never tell her that. He will not hear the end of it. No more sappiness, back into action. Shuffling quietly to her side of the bed he sets what he came in with on her nightstand before lowering himself down by her hip. Years of training have her awake before he can lean the full way in to meet her lips. She is raising into him halfway there and the kiss is soft and a little sleepy. One of his favorite kind from her, when the walls are completely down and it's just Kate left. The woman who loves him. His wife.

It may have been a couple years now but it still hits him at random moments. He is the lucky bastard who got to marry Kate Beckett. He is the one she deemed worthy of her love. He is the one she chooses to spend the rest of her life with.

She is more awake when they pull away from each other, matching smiles plastered across their faces. "Merry Christmas Castle."

"Merry Christmas Kate."

He's not sure what he was worried about. So far so good with the waking up, until the other angel in his bed makes her presence known. She's not one to share attention and apparently waking up Kate has awoken her as well.

Reluctantly turning his gaze from his wife, he looks down and the small hazel eyes looking back at him. He thought looking down at Alexis all those years ago was magical but looking down at his youngest he has never felt anything like this before. With his wife hanging on his arm, head resting on his shoulder, he looks at the 4 month old cushioned on their bed and he's a goner.

This is the perfect moment. This is what his life has led to because this morning, this first Christmas morning for Charlotte Castle, is perfect. He has his wife at his side, his oldest and mother waiting their arrival in the next room and he has the beautiful little girl who still relies on him to be everything looking at him like he's a hero. And maybe to this new soul on this magical day he is.

He scoops Charlotte up into his arms before the cries can grow in intensity and is swooping into action before his wife can move away from him. Grabbing the bottle he placed on her nightstand he places it in her mouth listening to the sounds of whimpers change into the soft suckles he loves so much.

Kate draws his gaze from the baby in his arms to her with the soft press of her lips to his cheek. Then she speaks the words he's been dying to say since he woke, "Merry Christmas Charlotte."

He doesn't care that she stole his thunder and said it first. This time, with this little one, he is part of a team. They are both here for this little girl and it's more than he could have ever dreamed.

"Merry Christmas Charlotte. I can't wait to spend so many more of these mornings with you."

Kate's chuckle breaks the solemn mood. So does her next words. "Sappiness and Christmas don't mix Castle. Who are you and what have you done with the little boy who busted in here last year to drag me out of bed, minus coffee I might add, to open the presents that Santa brought?"

That's why he loves this woman. Falling back into their usual pattern and feeling some of the heavy weight he's been carrying since his stop to look at the snow leave him he responds. "If I remember correctly, dragging you out of bed last year resulted in me dawning a very not festive broken nose. Red noses are for being out in the cold not getting punched in the face by your wife."

"Well now you know to bring coffee with you or there will be consequences."

"Speaking of, your coffee is on your nightstand. No need for a repeat, especially in front of this one. Wouldn't want her to think Mommy is a bully after all."

Kate reaches for the coffee as she lands a soft smack to Castle's shoulder not currently cradling a now full Charlotte. They both laugh when she lets out a loud belch. Kate trades the coffee for her husband's shoulders as she reaches around to place a kiss to their daughter's forehead before grazing his lips quickly. "What do you think Daddy? Should we not keep the others waiting any longer and start Charlotte's Christmas?"

"Nothing I would love more in the world Kate."

She's off the bed and almost to the door before he stops her with a hand to her arm. She turns back to him, smiling at the sight of their tiny daughter in his large arms. "I love you Kate."

"I love you too Rick. Merry Christmas."

They meet in a series of soft kisses. Their daughter cradled between them in the soft Christmas glow coming from the next room bathing them in a halo of light. Merry Christmas indeed. He doesn't need presents this year, there is nothing to rush off and open that comes from a store. He's got everything he could ever want right here wrapped in his arms. It truly is a magical time of year.

_**A/N: Totally not what I intended when I sat down to write this but I have to say I'm a little proud of it. Thanks for reading.**_


	24. Sing Softly to Me

The soft babbling sound somewhere in the room is the first thing he registers as he wakes. The sound itself isn't new; baby Alexander has been a babbling fool for months now. It's the soft voice that responds back to him that has Castle stirring from a deep sleep.

A quick glance across the bed where his wife should be at the monitor that resides on her side tells him the story. Not only did Alex wake his mother from much needed sleep but in her sleep fog she forgot to turn off the monitor, again. It's become a running joke between them. What's the point of trading off wake ups if the other leaves the thing on to wake the other?

Mother and son talk for a little while and he is content to just lie there and listen. Nonsense sounds are traded as if they are telling a story he knows neither can understand from the other. She must be about to feed the very awake child. The sounds coming from the baby die down, as do the soft sounds coming from Kate.

Smiling to himself he settles back into the pillows to go back to sleep when something on the monitor stops him. It just couldn't be what he thinks it is. Reaching across the bed he turns the monitor all the way up. She'll never know he eavesdropped anyway. Why not get to enjoy this moment between mother and son?

But as the volume increases he registers the sound again. Around the soft snuffles of Alex's feeding he hears something beautiful coming from his wife. It's soft and melodious and something he has never heard from her before.

She's singing to their son.

Kate has surprised him a lot over the years, before and after getting together, especially since they got married and started on this path to expanding their family. Her self-proclaimed aversion to babies and fears of how she would be as a mother were eliminated from any conversation the moment her son was placed in her arms. She is the best mother anyone could ask for.

But despite seeing her interact with his son for the last several months he's never heard this before. Hell, he never heard her more than hum except for that one time at the precinct. But that didn't count, not like this does. Her voice is angelic as it filters in from the speaker. Soft, comforting, soothing and everything that both son and father love about her summed up into a single act.

He can tell when Alexander stops feeding because the song changes slightly. He can't hear the words only the notes strung together but he knows they are full of love. He can see the smile on her face as she rocks in the chair music still emanating from somewhere inside her.

When he hears the song taper off and the scrape of the rocker across the floor he fumbles with the volume of the monitor. He knows from the sounds he can still hear that she is walking across the nursery they spent two weekends putting together, to the crib that resides on the opposite wall.

As he lies back against the pillow he hears her soft, "I love you" that he knows is followed by a gentle kiss to the forehead. This is one ritual that father and son share with her. The loving kisses that follows her words of love. Next comes the soft click of the door signally her return to him.

Most nights when she wakes him with the sounds of her with their son, he would remain awake until she returns. Snuggling her close to his side when she gets into bed to reveal in the joy of their little boy and the love they share with him and each other. Tonight is different.

He knows that performance was for Alexander alone. She never so much as hums in the shower, so sharing her singing with him is special. It seals a bond between mother and son alone.

Knowing this he feigns sleep when he hears the door to the bedroom open and close. He calls upon some latent acting skills to remain still as she returns to the bed. As she lies down the dip of the mattress is his only signal that she is next to him. She doesn't touch him, probably out of fear of waking him but he knows she's close. He can feel the warmth of her breath on his shoulder.

He isn't prepared for what she does next though. When the mattress dips further he feels her hover above him, still not touching. The gentle press of her lips to his forehead precedes the soft whisper of, "I love you Rick." It's so quiet against his ear that he would have never registered it if he weren't already awake.

Just as fast as she shifted, she's back in her position next to him. Her breathing evens out quickly and soon he knows she's back to sleep, exhausted from transitioning back into work and having a baby at home. But he remains awake next to her, thinking about his life and how he got this lucky. He'll never have the answers but he will treasure the journey they share everyday.

With thoughts of the adventures that tomorrow will bring for them in the form of the sleeping child upstairs Castle drifts back into sleep. His dreams find him not as a super spy or super hero saving the world but on the floor in the living room. He sits surrounded by his family and friends all laughing with each other.

That's what his dreams are these days and when he wakes the next morning to the kiss his wife places on his lips they start to come true. After a messy breakfast, naps on the play mat in the office, stolen moments with his wife, a lunch shared with his entire family, the evening finds him on his living room floor just like in his dream. Everyone he loves surrounds him and when he looks at his wife he can't help but think of the song he heard in the early hours of that morning.

Sometimes when you wish upon a star your dreams really do come true.

_**A/N: Thank you again for reading and responding. Sat down tonight with no intention of writing and this popped out. I hope you enjoyed it.**_


	25. Tell Me It Wasn't Just A Dream

_The waves crash on the shore outside the windows, the sounds soothing the racing of Kate's heart. Today of all days was not the day for a panic attack. Not over something as silly as this. She was getting married today._

_The white dress fits like a dream. The weather could not be any better. Her best friend was at her side during all of her preparations. Her future mother-in-law has gifted her with more than just the earrings that now sit in her ears. In short everything was coming together. After the stress of the last week it was finally perfect. They're getting married. _

_Her dad arrives at the door and the look on his face speaks more than his words ever have. She's never seen him look so proud of her; including the day she told him that they had put Senator Bracken away for good. The tears in her eyes form and fall quickly making her curse her mascara as he chuckles. It's a quick check in the mirror to make sure all is still good and she's walking out the door arm and arm with him. He may be giving her away at the end of that aisle but it's so much more than that. He's leading her to the life he and her mother dreamed for her all those years ago. It started when they wrapped her in diapers and planned out a future in the quiet hours together. This isn't the exact way it was supposed to go. There is one member of their family who is missing. But they all know her mother is there. She's watching her get married._

_They are walking down the path they created in the backyard, chairs lining the expanse of grass that overlooks the sea beyond. She doesn't see the people that occupy the seats; they turn to blurs when she sees him ahead of her. That smile he saves only for her shines brighter than she's ever seen it and she's sure the one she wears matches. They may look like grinning idiots but who cares. He's marrying her._

_She doesn't comprehend the words that they speak to each other. The weight of the ring he places on her finger is nonexistent. None of it real except the kiss he places on her lips at the end. It's a culmination of every kiss they have shared before and a preview of all the kisses that will follow. It's the kiss of a husband and wife, of two people who have vowed to share their lives together. It's everything. Before she's ready he's pulling away from her but the smile and squeeze he gives in exchange do little in pacifying her need for him. She can wait if she must because he's her husband now. Her forever has started. She's married._

_The scene starts to swirl when a strange sound registers in the background. It's a sound that doesn't belong in this fairytale setting they have created. It's a whirl that belongs inside on a rainy day, when chores are the only solace to pass the time. It's a sound that woke her from sleep when she was young and did nothing more than sleep in on weekends. It's not a sound that she should be hearing. It's making her husband fade away. It's pulling her away from him and she can't figure out why or where or how. _

Snapping her head up from the desk a piece of the notebook she had been scribbling comes up with her. She pulls the paper from her cheek as her surroundings come into focus.

She's not in their Hampton's house. She's not with her family and friends celebrating the best day of her life. She's not married.

It never happened. It was all ripped away from her when someone decided to run her fiancé off the road. It became nothing more than a dream when, 6 weeks ago her fiancé, her partner, seemingly walked away from his life. Everyone thinks he walked away, left her on the day of their wedding with no warning or explanation. Took the money and ran.

But she's knows her fiancé better than that, he would never do that to her. Not willingly. With everything they have been through over the last several years he wouldn't have left her standing there in white, wondering where he was.

Something wasn't right here and she was going to figure it out. So what if the FBI has given up, that the boys think she's crazy, that every trail has resulted in a dead end. So what if she has spent more days off than she ever has chasing down every dark corner he could be at. So what if she sleeps at her desk more than in the bed they used to share. So what if she's so far down the rabbit hole that the light can't touch her anymore. She's bringing him home; she's getting them their happy ending.

She sees the cause of her rude awaking is the night janitor. He never has questioned the nights she spent at her desk, just cleaned around her until the quite request for the trash bin under her desk before exiting the room. Tonight has been no different; they work in harmony around each other like normal.

If she's awake she may as well assure that she will stay that way. Going into the break room and making herself a cup of coffee isn't as hard as it was those first couple of weeks. The pain of knowing it isn't his has dulled to a faint pull during the first sip. The rest is swallowed easily now, much needed with the hours she has been pushing herself through.

When she exits the break room her world begins to tilt. It's not the exhaustion or the lack of any real food for days that has her swaying on her feet. It's the sight in front of her that is sending her into a tailspin.

Before she knows up from down she's reaching for her gun off her hip and advancing across the bullpen in impressive speed. The cup of coffee that was once in her hand now shattered on the floor and it's sound alerts her target to her movements. He startles immediately, all movement abruptly ending when he looks down the barrel of her gun.

With his hands raised the chair clatters to the floor on its side startling both occupants of the room. It breaks the tension in the room at just the right moment, snapping Kate back to the reality of the situation in front of her. The great threat she once believed in front of her now looking mild. The shame and dread sink in before she can say anything. What is wrong with her?

Putting the gun back into its holster, she walks over to the janitor. "I'm so sorry Henry. I don't know what came over me." The look on Henry's face is more sympathy than she can face on an average day but tonight it breaks her. The tears are falling before he speaks.

"Detective Beckett it's ok. It's my fault anyway. I didn't think you were still here. Just wanted to clean up under the desk a little while you were out. I'll put everything back just the way it was. I promise."

He's right the chair with a reverence he shouldn't have for an old piece of crappy office furniture. But it's not just a piece of furniture. It's not just any chair sitting next to any desk waiting for someone to sit in. It's his chair. It's the chair he salvaged when she wasn't looking. The chair he complained about but would never change. The chair they tampered with to prove he was cursed. The chair she put back together personally to ensure it would still be there. The chair he has always sat in. The chair he will sit in again.

Everyone understands what that chair means. No one sits in it now. The boys stand around it, rest against her desk, pull up others but they never sit in it. When Lanie visits it's more of the same. It has sat empty since he left. It has been untouched, unmoved, a monument to the person who is missing from all of their lives. One piece of him that remains here with them and reminds them all of the mission she holds herself responsible for.

Henry has the chair back in its place and is on his way back across the bullpen before she breaks herself from her reverie. She looks up at his retreating figure and can't hold it in any longer. "Henry. I'm truly sorry. It's stupid. It's just a chair. Do what you need to do. I think I'm going to go home and get some much-needed sleep. Pulling a gun over a chair is so not rational behavior. I'm really, really sorry."

"Kate. I've known you for as long as you've been a detective here at the 12th. I've seen more of you go through these doors late at night than I care to count. In all of those years I have never met someone like your Mr. Castle. He's as smart as they come. He may not be a cop or have gone through all of what you had to to get here but he's going to come back to you. He's a cop without the badge and gun but most of all he's a man in love. I saw they way he looked at you all those nights he stayed with you. He didn't have to be here when you were but he stayed by your side. He'll come back and until then that chair will stay right where it is. Don't apologize for loving someone in whatever way you can. It's the best we can do in life. Goodnight."

As she wipes the tears from her cheeks, Kate watches Henry shuffle down a hallway away from the bullpen. That's enough for tonight, enough for now. Castle is coming back to her. He will sit in that chair again soon. She has her hope back. It's all going to be ok and she's going to make that dream come true.

* * *

><p>As they slow dance in the gazebo overlooking the sea as a married couple Kate thinks back to that night in the precinct all those months ago. She never told Castle the whole story about the night with the janitor and his chair. Some of the stories from his time away are best left in her head. But she can't help replay it all in her mind.<p>

It's not the lovely words Henry shared with her. The understanding from a man she barely spoke twenty words to over the years. It's not her irrational reaction to the movement of the chair that still sits next to her desk, but on most days has him in it again. It's nothing about the real parts of that evening.

Today all she can think of is the dream she had. It may not be exactly the same and it may have taken a while to get there but as she sways in the arms of her husband with her family nearby she can't help but think that all of her dreams came true.

_**A/N: As you have probably figured out already this is an insert for 7x01 of what I think went down that night with the janitor and her gun. I still can't believe the response I continue to receive for these stories. Thank you all for reading and those of you who have shared your kind words in return. **_


	26. 2 am Texts

_**A/N: A little 7x11 insert scene because lets face it, she texted Ryan at 2am. The story practically writes itself from there.**_

Ok, it's officially been way too long since they've done that. Rebel Beck came back out to play for sure. All it took was a little wine and a lot of her ruggedly handsome husband. Throw in his help on her case and she was a goner. She's missed this tho, she's missed him. It's been rough since he's dismissal from the precinct. It's just not fair, how something he didn't do cost him so much?

Now he has this harebrained idea to be a PI. What was he thinking? She thought the endless days he spent in his pajamas in front of the computer were just depression induced gaming marathons. She was ok with hours spent in fake raids or killing zombies if it made him happy. Not that she's complaining about having him on her side again at work. But they aren't supposed to do this anymore. He's not supposed to be there anymore. They aren't partners, for now at least.

As much as it hurts it's how it has to be. It means they miss certain things but they try to make up for it. No more theory-building, no more coffees, no more shared looks at her desk. For now he's just her husband and she thought she was ok with that.

The months that he was missing unfortunately prepared her this. She doesn't feel his absence at work like she would have. It has help to soften the blow slightly. Not that she needs a sliver lining of that time. They've moved on together. They're making their happy ending come true.

The time she would spend missing him at work is now focused into solving cases and finishing paperwork. Just knowing that she gets to come home to him every night makes it even more satisfying. They've been coping fine and this little return to old times was a one-time deal anyway. He'll get tired of this when he figures out he can't work with her again. Right?

The wine that she poured for her trap to get him to talk ended up back firing on her. Not that she's upset about the effects it had. The slight buzz that came from the drinks they shared tangled on the couch after round one were worth it. They didn't make it past the office for the next one.

She couldn't keep her hands off of him. He's sexy when he's putting the story together in his head. Especially when they work together to get there. Their theory building has done something to her for longer than she is willing to admit to. It sparked too many nights alone in her bed with his name on her lips.

Speaking of theory building, they were on to something before she lost all of her clothes on the living room floor. She remembers something he was saying to her about his research as he pined her to the couch. Something about a boyfriend and a death years ago. Jeff's death could definitely be what she was researching at Radnor. They need to get their hands on those files as soon as possible.

Laying plastered to him where they fell into bed an hour ago Kate knows she needs to figure out what time it is. Pulling herself up from her spot on his chest, Kate waits to make sure her husband hasn't stirred. She can't let him know that she's doing this. She can't give him the satisfaction or the information they find out.

When she looks at the clock it's a little after two am. She decides a text to Ryan will be better than a phone call. No since dragging him out of bed for something that will have to wait for the morning anyway. With a baby at home he might be awake right now anyway. He can get the process started before he comes in later this morning.

Rolling away from Rick, she grabs her phone from the bedside table. She types out a quick message with the new information before replacing her phone. All of the movement of the bed is sure to wake him up. She's not sure if she wants him to sleep through or wake up and continue what they started. It's not until she cuddles back up to his naked chest that he stirs.

It starts with a gentle sweep of her back with his hand. The motion sparking a not quite burned out flame of arousal that their previous activities didn't dampen. Tonight is one of those nights that she just needs him. She can't get enough of her husband on a good day and if the previous two rounds didn't demonstrate tonight is worse. From the pressure she's feeling on her thigh thrown over his hips, he's right there with her.

Lifting her head she is greeted with his dark eyes and a sexy smile that tells her that neither of them will be getting any more sleep tonight. She meets him halfway with her kiss and they have flipped positions on the bed before she takes her next breath. She quickly sucks in much needed air as he comes back for more. It's fierce and perfect.

They are working together again, in whatever strange yet rebellious way he has come up with. For tonight he was her partner again at work and at home and it's perfect. It has her pushing up against him, flipping him to his back. This time she's in charge. This is her game.

She's off him before he knows what's going on but he's smirking when she comes back with their box. Their box that became a combination of his favorites and hers over the months they spent together in the loft. They were the first things they combined as a couple and the box hasn't gotten enough time out of the closet lately. Tonight will be creative, sexy and just what they need.

If she's lucky she'll wear him out so much that he won't be able to interrupt their investigation anymore tomorrow. She loves nights like this, playful with each other all while driving each other crazy.

She's back in his lap, the box poised next to her leg on his hip. He's smiling when she kisses him. They definitely are on top of him tonight. No way is he solving the case before them.

_**A/N: A shorter chapter because I had too much coffee tonight and the ideas are pouring out of my head. Thanks to everyone again for your continued support of this series. I don't know what I expected when I started this thing but you've blown all expectations out of the water. Thank you!**_


	27. Netflix, The Walking Dead and a Blizzard

The television in the corner flashes images, spreading light across the otherwise dark office. The blankets of falling snow have dampened even the lights from the world outside the windows. The rest of the loft is dark and silent. Everyone gathered together in the comfort of this room. The silence floats through the space. Only the soft sounds from the movie are interrupted by the occasional snore can be heard.

An all night, cold winter night, during a blizzard, movie marathon had sounded like a good plan when he suggested it earlier. He will make any excuse for a marathon. And who knows when the storm will pass. It is warm and cozy in the loft. They do have junk food, Netflix and hours of no possible body drops to kill.

When he suggested they try to stay up all night and binge watch all of The Walking Dead she thought he was crazy. "Let's pretend we're back in our twenties. It'll be fun Kate." He's got a couple years on her and minus a few all nighters spent in front of the murder board years ago she doesn't do all nighters. Not just for fun anyway.

The things she does for her husband. She really does love that man. Forget the fact that she was awoken by their easily excited dog at five this morning when he just had to go out. Said dog is now lying across their legs passed out. Then it was a full, but boring, day of paperwork only to come home to prepare dinner alone and get the supplies together in case the storm knocked out the power.

Not that Rick didn't have his fair share to deal with today. He was also awake with her early this morning, with their unhappy 18 month old. He spent the rest of the day wrangling the sick little boy finally getting him medicated and passed out in the cot he keeps in the office after their brief dinner. He shouldn't have had the energy to even contemplate one movie let alone a marathon but he's a nine year old on a sugar rush.

The problem isn't how excited he got or that he convinced her she would love the show. No the problem is now she's hooked to the dumb show, zombie's really Rick? She can't stop watching. The thoughts of just one more episode stopped running through her head three episodes ago, about when he passed out on her.

It's like her all night reading days only worse. This show is intense in ways she never would have guessed. It has her asking herself very dumb questions. Like, how many more seasons of this are there? How many days off would she have to take to finish it all?

Ok now she's being ridiculous. She really needs to just get some sleep. It's a miracle Alexander hasn't woken up yet and as much as she wants to punch Rick for falling asleep on her she can't blame him. At least one of them will need to be rested tomorrow if they are going to survive another fever-riddled day.

Finally looking away from the screen as the credits roll, Kate heart leaps at the sight of her husband. He had insisted on making a palate on the floor to make things more comfortable. She didn't know that meant dragging every pillow, blanket and soft surface to the floor of the office. She's surprised their mattress is still on their bed.

She has to admit it is like lying on a cloud. Seeing him wedged down with his head smashed between a couple of pillows, mouth open, she's happy he did it. He looks like his son when he sleeps. Relaxed face, child like smile around his eyes, slight drop of drool in the corner of his mouth. She loves him.

She wants to close his mouth right now to stop the random snores but can't bring herself to do it. Why wake him? Oh wait, this whole thing was his idea.

There are of course better ways to wake a sleeping Rick Castle. It is one of her favorite games to play. Which way to do it this time? Soft kisses, roaming hands, a swift tug of the ear?

She decides to go the route that will lead to a happy Castle when he wakes. She leans over his head pressing her lips first to his forehead, mapping a course across his face to his lips. When she finally seals her lips to his, she knows he is definitely awake. He responds quickly pressing a hand to the back of her neck to keep her there.

She pull away when the next episode starts behind her and her attention is pulled from her sleepy husband to the drama on screen. If she were to look over at him she would see the pouty lip sticking out as he rolls to face her. Did she really leave him hanging mid make out for a TV show?

"What the hell Kate?"

Ripping her eyes from the screen quickly she looks at him before going back to the screen. "Shh Castle. It's on."

Now he's really confused. Why did he get woken up from a very realistic dream of the two of them against a zombie army to be ditched? Oh the binge watching idea. The Walking Dead. Now he remembers. He fell asleep on her. Not cool. When did he get so old?

Pulling himself up next to his wife, who pays him no mind, he brackets her with his legs and pulls her back against his chest. She wraps her arms around his, giving one a quick squeeze, never missing a bit of the show. He knew she would get hooked. And she says she doesn't believe in zombies. His wife is a nerd; he loves her more for it.

If she's going binge watch so will he. With a quick kiss to her neck he tries to catch up to which episode she's on. He must have slept a couple hours from what he can tell. With his vast knowledge of the show he's easily caught up and into the show.

Neither of them is aware of how many episodes or hours pass before they are being startled by the soft whimpers of Alexander. Looking at each other they agree to pause the show. Kate is startled when she looks out the window to see a much brighter than the one she remembers looking at out the window not that long ago. It couldn't have been that long right? Have they even moved in hours?

When she struggles to stand on numb legs she has her answers. Barely making it over, she lifts Alexander from his cot and takes him into the bedroom to start another morning with her family.

Rick watches his wife and son leave the room. He really is a lucky man. It's not until they are out of the room does he take stock of himself. He's startled when he realizes just how old he might be getting. He yells through the open door, "Kate, I can't feel my butt."

She's laughing as she comes back in the office carrying a much happier Alexander with a wide smile on her face. "Come on Daddy. Wake that gorgeous ass of yours up. This little one needs some breakfast. He's still go a little fever so I don't think we're going anywhere today. Maybe we can get back to our marathon after?"

She has a soft smile and how could he say no to that. He brushes a kiss across her lips as he moves to push them all out of the office. She hands him Alexander as they make their way, moving to start prepping their food while they rest in one of the stools at the counter.

He places a kiss to the boy's head and while he is cooler than yesterday it's clear he's still sick. Poor kid. But it's never too early to teach him the healing powers of cuddles and TV with his parents and the dog. It's not Temptation Lane and probably not kid appropriate but if Kate wants to watch The Walking Dead, they are watching it. Every family needs it's own traditions.


End file.
